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iChat server not delivering messages, bad green icons

Hi:

We're having some problems with our iChat server on 10.6.4 [about 40 users, client version is 5.0.3 (745)]

1. Some users are showing up on other users' screens as being logged in and available, even when they are not. Thus messages sent to them never arrive (and message senders wonder why they're being dissed….)

2. Camera and phone icons often do not appear next to buddy names/pictures for many users. All Macs in the office have multi-user audio and video capability.

3. After a recent restart, for some reason, the host domain disappeared from the list from iChat server's general settings (viewed using Server Admin), which kept clients from connecting. Adding the domain to the list solved that problem.

Sounds to me as though some settings file is hosed.

I've seen the list of six iChat config files on Page 24 of the iChat Server Administration manual, and I'm guessing the problem lies with one of them or one of the other files in the /etc/jabberd folder.

But the documentation is silent about what files need to be trashed and replaced or repaired.

I found this...

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2220395&tstart=-1

…which suggests that…

sudo /usr/libexec/ichatserver inittool -i

…will reset the iChat server.

Anyone have any experience with this? Do existing files need to be deleted first?

I've also read online that is this command....

sudo rm /private/var/jabberd/sqlite/jabberd2.db

...might be enough to get the iChat server working again.

Anyone had this experience or used these tools to get things fixed?

Thanks,
mm

Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Oct 25, 2010 4:52 PM

22 replies

Tim Harris

Level 4

1,481 points

Oct 27, 2010 3:26 PM in response to Mike Matthews

1. So if a user is logged in with both iCal and iChat simultaneously (using mike@alfred.company.com > for both), then the iChat status would be correct and camera icons would appear?

Simultaneously, is not possible, one will always get in first and both will send 'presence' details to all connected users - but what if that user as the other end is a iCal client? Then what will happen when the iCal client of another logs in, it's details will go to connected users and which client ( iCal or iChat) responds with their details. It's complex.

2. I have a second domain listed in the iChat server host domain list (bentley.company.com). When I >try to change the iChat setting on the client to connect to that domain, it prompts for a password >repeatedly and never connects. (This is one of the problems noted at the top of this thread that was >fixed by reentering alfred.company.com into the domain list.)

Like I said it's not as simple a fix 'cos it takes into other problem areas. Best I probably write something up. You can do a quick fix for item 2 - by searching this group for MD5 and following the instructions. Again - a quick fix to another config problem.

Oct 29, 2010 10:35 PM in response to Tim Harris

Well, problems persist.

Green icons still do not appear reliably. Users sometimes don't get an indication that a second user has left a chat. I'm also getting a "Not Authorized" message for some users in the buddy list.

I'm guessing the only sure solution is to leave the iCal server running on one server box and set up a fresh install of the iChat server on another server box.

And never the twain shall meet. iCal and iChat won't collide and status messages will be accurate.

Correct?

Thanks,
mm

Tim Harris

Level 4

1,481 points

Oct 29, 2010 11:59 PM in response to Mike Matthews

I'm also getting a "Not Authorized" message for some users in the buddy list.

That is common if you ran the autobuddy command. Best to have people add each other manually.

It will still work if you use one server.

1) Don't use autobuddy
2) You will need to clean up the clients as well since they will still have the settings on the old domain in them which will be used of iCal. There will be a plist on the client machines somewhere that stores all the buddy lists - just delete that on all of the clients.

Oct 31, 2010 3:22 PM in response to Tim Harris

Hi,

I popped in, having some spare time.

Item 2
This generally needs the item in the Video Menu for Camera Enabled to be ticked (Selecting toggles it On or Off) and same for Microphone Enabled.

With the Camera and Mic On then the next place is the View menu > Show Video (or Audio) Status settings.
These again needs ticks next to them.

With an AIM login account (AIM, @mac.com or MobileMe) these are flagged on the server on "your account" and then passed on to the Buddy.
There is some evidence that this happens on the UDP Protocol on port 5190 (The default Login is TCP on port 5190 but can be changed). What I am saying is that the AIM said seems to use a Different Protocol in some instances.

However the Jabber side only uses TCP.
This is either port 5223 for SSL login and port 5222 for Non SSL.
This Article says iChat (Client ends) also uses port 5220 but not what it is for.

I run Little Snitch on my main computer with iChat and have never seen a Accept pop up appear for this port.

One thing I have noted is that if a Buddy goes Idle (default is 10 mins of no Keyboard or Mouse input) then the Capabilities of that Buddy are reported as "Off Line IM" as seen in the Profile tab after doing a Get Info on the Buddy.
Away and Off-line Buddies show the same.

After that I don't know enough about the Jabber Server set up to say if these features can be changed at that Level. (I presume the server has to be set up to store Off Line IMs at least but I have no idea if it stores/flags Capabilities but think that it does not - and therefore it is client to client)

On the DNS front do the client Macs show the same DNS Servers ?
iChat can have difficulties making "full' contact as it were if the Mac cannot determine a Route to get the required info. (This mainly effects Video and Audio Chats though).

10:22 PM Sunday; October 31, 2010

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

Nov 3, 2010 10:24 AM in response to Mike Matthews

So, since I couldn't find a way to completely reset the iChat server and clients to remove all the problems, I simply set up a new iChat sever on a new box with a different URL.

I created a new account for each of our 43 users.

With the iChat and push notification servers off, I did the following:

sudo /usr/bin/jabber_autobuddy -i <username>@<hostname> --to initiate all of the accounts
sudo serveradmin settings jabber:enableAutoBuddy = yes --to turn on the autobuddy setting
sudo /usr/bin/jabber_autobuddy -m --To make all initialized users buddies of each other

It's real important that no users are logged into the iChat server when the autobuddy command runs. Otherwise, you can get a bunch of "not authorized" status messages for users.

I also deleted the old iChat server account on each of the users' Macs and created a new one with the new server hostname.

Things seems to be back to normal. Keeping the iCal server and its push notification away from the iChat server and its push notifications seems to help as each user has the correct green multi-video icon next to their names.

This page was also very helpful: www.manpagez.com/man/8/jabber_autobuddy/

mm

Nov 3, 2010 1:27 PM in response to Mike Matthews

Hi Mike,

I see from a recent Email Subcription notification that you have posted a solution to this.

I saw Tim's reference to me adding something and added what I know. That post appears at the very bottom (I use Threaded View).

As to Who I am, I am the most prolific poster in the 4 iChat Forums.
I know very little about Servers and the iChat Server set up procedure.
I don't know everything about the client iChat but I am working on it. ( http://www.ralphjohns.co.uk/)

I may receive some form of compensation, financial or otherwise, from my recommendation or link.

8:27 PM Wednesday; November 3, 2010

jf100

Level 1

0 points

Nov 22, 2010 9:31 AM in response to Mike Matthews

Oooops! Wrong forum. Sorry

Message was edited by: jf100

iChat server not delivering messages, bad green icons