HOWTO join VectorLinux chat channel when server wants SASL

[roarde]

First off, for those who didn't know there is an IRC channel: irc://irc.freenode.net:6667/#VectorLinux  If your browser won't do it, start your IRC client, connect to irc.freenode.net, then   /join #VectorLinux .

The above usually works fine. If it worked for you, you don't need the rest of this.

Problem:
You try to connect to freenode, but get the message that SASL connection is required.
This doesn't happen to most, just when someone from your ISP or similar IP addresses has been disruptive in chat; usually the ISP is configured so that it's easy for those trolls to change their IP to evade bans. Freenode "bans" the addresses to protect chats, but allows those who let the server know who they are to join. One method for doing that is SASL. Most chat programs (clients) that have recent development do this fairly easily. Some others, most of them older, need a nudge.

Freenode has posted a page on this. Some of the info is repeated here because at least one client needs VL-specific changes.

[roarde]

Normally, you don't have to be registered to join #vectorlinux. But we're discussing needing SASL just to connect.

Your nick has to be registered with freenode's NickServ to use SASL. If you have a registered nick there, skip this post. Also, if you already know how to use NickServ, see the webchat URL below and skip the rest. Reminder:  /msg nickserv help register

Your nick has to be registered to connect, and you have to connect to register. Hmmm.

One way is to use Freenode's webchat for this. https://webchat.freenode.net/
Fill in a nickname. I suggest using something unusual no one would want and change it before registering (read on). Many, many nicks are already taken, and it'd be nice to connect the first time to start the process. Try "nicklessV3-6" or so.
Fill in the Captcha, hit "Connect". Once it connects, you'll be typing everything in the box at the bottom of the page.

To register a nick, you need to make up a password and have an email address.

Finding an open nick (by example):
To try "roarde":    /msg nickserv info roarde
You'll see info about my nick registration. It's taken.
I try:   /msg nickserv info blllrk .  It says "blllrk is not registered". I like it, I'll register it. And I choose "unguessable" as my password.

Registering:
/nick blllrk              (to change my current nick to "blllrk")
/msg nickserv register unguessable roarde@someserver.com

I wait a bit, check my someserver.com account, and follow the instructions in the email. Done.
Freenode's nick registration FAQ

You're welcome to type   /join #vectorlinux  in webchat and chat with us that way, but I'll move on to setting up SASL in Xchat.

[roarde]

Why not try HexChat instead and skip all this? It's based on Xchat2 code, is extremely similar, currently maintained, and SASL's easy to set up. Hata_ph has packaged it, and at the time of this post, it's in untested. I'm sure it'll make its way to the regular repo.
HexChat package info: http://forum.vectorlinux.com/index.php?topic=17546

If you still want to do SASL with Xchat, read on.

Xchat2 (we still call it "xchat") needs an SASL plugin. The plugins are scripted in either Perl or Python. By the time VL 7.0 came out, many of the libraries for those have been moved from where the older, compiled-in values in xchat2 expects them, so they don't work. Earlier versions of VL may not need a change. Later versions probably don't have the same Perl version, so the directory names will need to be changed from the below.

The workaround:
As root:

Code:

# cd /usr/lib/perl5/site_perl/5.12.3
# ln -s i586-linux-thread-multi i486-linux-thread-multi

Now Xchat's Perl interface can find the libs for the script.

Get the script: http://lwsitu.com/xchat/cap_sasl_xchat.pl . Put it in /home/$USER/.xchat2/ . That's <dot>xchat2 for those of us with tiny fonts.
Start xchat. When you connect, you should see "SASL loaded" if you look quickly enough. A server window is easiest, so go ahead and try to connect, then choose Server > disconnect from the menu bar. If you don't see a menu bar, press F9 to get one.

SASL needs to be configured for Freenode. Just type two commands into xchat. For this example, my nickname is "blllrk" and my password is "unguessable". The commands:
/sasl set freenode blllrk unguessable PLAIN              ("PLAIN" is the auth type available with this script)
/sasl save

That should do it. I suggest also opening a terminal and doing     chmod 600 ~/.xchat2/sasl.auth   so that, supposedly, you're the only one who can read that nick and pass. Not exactly high security, but one does what one can.

The next time you connect, you should see "SASL authentication successful".

---------------------------------------------------------
roarde:       To do an adequate test, you really need to  /join #vectorlinux.
fontguy:      No you don't

* roarde slaps fontguy around a bit with a wet trout.