User:Oceanwatcher

Setting up Quassel client/server on Ubuntu server

My first encounter with KDE was through Kubuntu, and Kubuntu comes with a version of Quassel that is called monolithic.

At it's root, Quassel is actually a client/server system where the server takes care of most of the work and the client puts a pretty face on it for you. But for casual use, a version where both are running together on the same computer has been developed and is the most widely used.

A few days ago, I was searching for some answers regarding Quassel and finally found out about the client/server version - a bit embarassing to discover it this late! And as I am already running a Ubuntu Server 10.04 at home, I decided to try to set up the client/server version.

The big advantage with this approach is that I will never miss any talks that are happening as I will be logged in as long as my server is running and my internetline is live.

Here is my setup:

Ubuntu Server 10.04 with eBox 1.5 (beta version of the coming 2.0)

I am running a DNS (very easy to set up through eBox), DHCP, Samba, Apache/MySQL/PHP, PhpMyAdmin and Apt-cacher NG just to mention a few things.

On my laptop, I am running Kubuntu 10.04 with KDE 4.4.4.

Setting up the core server was the easiest part of it.

Log in to a terminal on the server, and give this command:

sudo apt-get install quassel-core

On your client PC you need to install the client. If you prefer to use command line, then give this command:

apt-get install quassel-client

Or you can do a search in your software installer for quassel-client and install it there. There is no need to worry about uninstalling Quassel monolithic if you are using Kubuntu or a different distro with KDE. They will work happily side by side on the same PC.

After installing it, start it up. You will be asked for the address of the server - I just used the IP address - and you will be taken through the steps of configuring.

If you want some more in-depth information about the configuration, take a look at this page:

http://bugs.quassel-irc.org/wiki/quassel-irc

Tip

Some extra tips

When you start using irc a lot, it might be a good idea to register the nickname (nick) that you are using to identify yourself with. You can do this by first setting up the nick that you want to use by entering this command as a message in the channel you are in:

/nick your-preferred-nick

To try to register this one, issue this command:

/msg nickserv register <your-password> <your-email>

You will get a mail with a command that you issue in Quassel to confirm your e-mail address.

After doing this, nobody else can use your nick and pretend to be you. To use this nick automatically every time you log on, you need to configure it in Quassel:

Settings -> Configure Quassel (or just press F7).

Got to the Identities section and set up the nick you just registered. Then go to Networks and click on the Auto Identify tab. Set NickServ as the service and add your password. You can also use SASL authentication - add the nick and password you gave to Freenode NickServ.

This was just a quick step through. A lot can be done to improve it, but I was amazed at how quick and easy it was to set it up.

--Regards, Svein 03:26, 15 June 2010 (CEST)