iChat buddy list problem

hi MacDude-Um,

Welcome to the Apple Discussions.

This normally means that iChat has not logged on the the AIM servers properly.

If this worked before then delete com.apple.ichat.AIM.plist from the Users/(your account)/Library/Preferences folder and restart iChat.

If this is your firts time then port 5190 needs opening to the UDP protocol either in the Mac Firewall or the modem.

Ralph

Same problem here. Oddly enough, a couple client's icons do work... but the icon from my eMac on the same network does not... it stays on the default AIM icon. Weird.

Hi Macdude-Um,

Ok. Lets go through it bit by bit.

By default iChat is set top use the port 5190 on the TCP protocol to log in to AIM.

Logging into AIM causes things to happen at their end about flagging your screen name as being on line.
This in turn gets passed to all your Buddies that have you in their Buddy list and consquently you then appear online to them.

Now this process happens on different servers at the AIM end.

For them to see or you to get the info of who is online back from the AIM servers iChat needs to have port 5190 open to the UDP protocol.

So as it invloves different servers and a different protocol you can not presume that logging on is enough.


Moving on to the next problem that sometimes effects things.
This is in iChat > Preferences > Accounts >(The AIM or @mac account) > Security setting tab.
You need to make sure this does not say Block All as the selection.

As you may have only just added you Buddies to the list there is another possibloe problem.
With this you could have added them as the wrong account type. See the pics in posistions 3-6 on this page

If for instance you have an AIM buddy and add that name when the drop down read .mac then the AIM servers will have an .mac Buddy on your list. This technically is a different person as far as the Buddy list is concerned.

If your buddies can see you as being online then one of them can call you. Their screen name will appear at the top of the text chat window. If you now select their name in the Buddy list and use the Apple key and i together (Get Info) then their card will pop up. In the Drop down select the Address card. Check the Account type in the name (@mac.com gets added by the ichat software)

Summary:
Make sure the ports for iChat logging on and text chatting and Buddy list updates are open in
1) The Mac Firewall if On
2) Any Modem or router

Next make sure the screens names in your Buddy list were added to the right account types (the Address card can be used for corrctions by deleting any @mac.com suffixes that are not needed)

Make sure your Privacy settings are not set to Block All.

Now, if it is none of these then it is possible that the .plist is corrupt. Deleting and RESTARTING iChat is likely to sort this.

If this does not fix it then run this line in blod in Terminal
/Applications/iChat.app/Contents/MacOS/iChat -errorLogLevel 7

Copy and paste it in to Terminal with iChat shut down.
It will cause iChat to launch and create a log.
Copy the log and post it here.
Quit iChat
Quit Terminal.



10:07 PM Tuesday; September 12, 2006

dreadnaught:~ chrisgillespie$ /Applications/iChat.app/Contents/MacOS/iChat -errorLogLevel 7
192452.049025 Loading hardware rules from hardwarerulesH264-G4.plist
192452.049128 Checking H264 hardware rules
192452.049175 Satisfied rule #1 (20:640x480)
192452.049467 setLocalUserName: Christopher Gillespie@10.37.129.2
192452.055634 Default video size is (640x480)
192452.061291 ### NEW STATE: to: VC_INIT, from: VC_INVALID
192452.061622 ### NEW STATE: to: VC_IDLE, from: VC_INIT
192452.061664 ++++++++ confStatusMapRemoveAll
192452.061692 ( ) -- mapUserIDToSecurityInfo cleared --
192452.064354 UPnP init passed
192452.064782 NATTraversal created
192452.065114 Bandwidth based on QT prefs = 1500
192452.189564 BWD: GotBandwidth: 1836838/5256956 (up/down) @[192.168.15.50:255.255.255.0]
192452.189593 BWD bandwidth: 1836 kbits up, 5256 kbits down.
192452.189603 videoNetworkCapable: 1 -- 3 max participants.
192452.189612 audioNetworkCapable: 1 -- 9 max participants.
192452.189695 vcCapabilities returns: 0x0000003f
192452.189735 VCCapAudio
192452.189761 VCCapVideo
192452.189783 VCCapMultiAudio
192452.189809 VCCapMultiVideo
192452.189831 VCCapMultiAudioHost
192452.189857 VCCapMultiVideoHost
192452.385034 UPnP Router Info:
- manufacturer [Linksys Inc.]
- friendly name [Linksys WRT54GS (192.168.15.1)]
- model name [WRT54GS]
- model desc [Internet Access Server]
192452.385994 UPnP: Begin TCPProc
192453.417140 UPnP: TCPProc begin loop

Hi Christopher,

92452.049467 setLocalUserName: Christopher Gillespie@10.37.129.2

This line says you are in one place

192.168.15.50:

This bit says you are connected somewhere else.

How are you connected to the internet ?

Close to you is obviously the Linksys WRT54GS
What is supplying the 10.37.129.2 address ?

If it is the server for an apartment block or campus it might have a bearing.



8:26 PM Saturday; September 16, 2006

Hi Christopher,

92452.049467 setLocalUserName: Christopher
Gillespie@10.37.129.2

This line says you are in one place

192.168.15.50:

This bit says you are connected somewhere else.

How are you connected to the internet ?

Close to you is obviously the Linksys WRT54GS
What is supplying the 10.37.129.2 address ?

If it is the server for an apartment block or campus
it might have a bearing.

Nah, residential home. In any case, that 10.x.x.x IP is the Parallels Host-Guest Adapter. I disabled it (no internet in parallels) and iChat behaves the same.

Chris

Hi Christopher,

The log suggests near the bottom that it is trying UPnP first.

Is the Linksys set up to use UPnP ?
It is in the Adminstration tab of the set up pages for the Linksys.

IF UPnP is not what you are using what ports do you have open in the Linksys ?



8:34 PM Tuesday; September 19, 2006

Hi Christopher,

The log suggests near the bottom that it is trying
UPnP first.

Is the Linksys set up to use UPnP ?
It is in the Adminstration tab of the set up pages
for the Linksys.

IF UPnP is not what you are using what ports do you
have open in the Linksys ?

Yup, UPnP is on and verified working (other programs are able to map ports... the Linksys does not list any ports mapped by iChat though.)

Perhaps this is the real problem.

Alright... I am experiencing the same missing icon issue on campus of my university. Could this be a problem caused by Chax? Here's the log:

084459.106737 Loading hardware rules from hardwarerulesH264-G4.plist
084459.106851 Checking H264 hardware rules
084459.106896 Satisfied rule #1 (20:640x480)
084459.107165 setLocalUserName: Christopher Gillespie@192.168.1.201
084459.190408 Default video size is (640x480)
084459.197731 ### NEW STATE: to: VC_INIT, from: VC_INVALID
084459.197908 ### NEW STATE: to: VC_IDLE, from: VC_INIT
084459.198003 ++++++++ confStatusMapRemoveAll
084459.198019 ( ) -- mapUserIDToSecurityInfo cleared --
084459.240718 UPnP init passed
084459.240926 NATTraversal created
084459.241174 Bandwidth based on QT prefs = 1500
084459.247161 BWD: GotBandwidth: 1501501/1491040 (up/down) @[192.168.1.201:255.255.255.0]
084459.247189 BWD bandwidth: 1501 kbits up, 1491 kbits down.
084459.247199 videoNetworkCapable: 1 -- 3 max participants.
084459.247208 audioNetworkCapable: 1 -- 9 max participants.
084459.247273 vcCapabilities returns: 0x0000003f
084459.247315 VCCapAudio
084459.247342 VCCapVideo
084459.247364 VCCapMultiAudio
084459.247402 VCCapMultiVideo
084459.247429 VCCapMultiAudioHost
084459.247526 VCCapMultiVideoHost
084459.289344 UPnP Router Info:
- manufacturer [Linksys Inc.]
- friendly name [Residential Gateway Device]
- model name [WRT54G]
- model desc [Internet Access Server]
084459.289816 UPnP: Begin TCPProc
084500.319274 UPnP: TCPProc begin loop

Hi Christopher,

This log does not list Chax at the top.
Did you copy it from after that point ?

As a test Log out of AIM
Go to IChat > Preferences > Accounts.
Select the Account you were logged in with (AIM or @mac)
Select the Server Settings Tab
Change the port near the top from 5190 to 443

Log back into AIM

I take it from these posts that Only UPnP is set and there is no Port Forwarding at your end ?

I also presume you are connecting the Linksys to a Wall socket for th Uni campus network ?

If you connect directly to the wall socket can you get the Buddy icons and Video Chat ?



10:14 PM Thursday; September 21, 2006

Hi Christopher,

This log does not list Chax at the top.
Did you copy it from after that point ?

Yes, that was the complete log.

As a test Log out of AIM
Go to IChat > Preferences > Accounts.
Select the Account you were logged in with (AIM or
@mac)
Select the Server Settings Tab
Change the port near the top from 5190 to 443

Log back into AIM

Done, same result.

I take it from these posts that Only UPnP is set and
there is no Port Forwarding at your end ?

Correct.

I also presume you are connecting the Linksys to a
Wall socket for th Uni campus network ?

Nope, the school uses Linksys routers too. Same behavior though with a Belkin router at my parents. Wired, wireless, same situation.

If you connect directly to the wall socket can you
get the Buddy icons and Video Chat ?

Nope, it doesn't matter where I am or how I connect., same behavior.

Hi Christopher,

Odd.

Lets go back one step then.

Is the Mac firewall On ?
(System Preferences > Sharing > Firewall tab)

Does it have have a iChat full set of ports if it is On ?
Pic here http://www.ralphjohnsuk.dsl.pipex.com/css/Resources/tableport.png

Also is Chax uninstalled fully ?



3:26 PM Saturday; September 23, 2006