Google Talk HowTo for Psi 0.10

From PsiWiki

This Howto is for Psi 0.10, in later versions of Psi the default settings for accounts should work with google talk.

This pages describes the steps required to get Psi 0.10 (latest release) working with your Google Talk (GMail) account.

For Psi 0.9.3 Google Talk HowTo, please check this page.

If it is the first time you start Psi, you may skip to the Adding the Google Talk account section, because Psi automatically takes you there if there is no account already set up.

Contents 1 Account Setup 2 Jabber Accounts 3 Adding the Google Talk account 4 Account Properties 4.1 Account 4.2 Connection 5 Frequently Asked Questions 5.1 Why are these instructions different from Google's instructions? 5.2 Why does Psi use Port 5223 when the Google's instructions say to use port 5222? 5.3 Why do I get the "failed authenticity test" error? 5.4 My Psi looks different from the one in the screenshots here 5.5 The official client connects on port 443. Can I do that with Psi?

Account Setup

1. click the Psi symbol in the bottom-left corner
2. select 'Account Setup.'

Jabber Accounts

1. Click 'Add' in the 'Psi: Jabber Accounts' window.

Adding the Google Talk account

1. Enter a name for your account in the 'Name:' field (we suggest 'Google Talk'). Also, make sure that the box next to 'Register new account' is not checked.
2. Click 'Add.'

Account Properties

Account

The account properties dialog will show up.

1. Enter your full Gmail email address in the 'Jabber ID:' field (including '@gmail.com' *).

We also recommend checking:

1. Automatically connect on startup
2. Automatically reconnect if disconnected

• gmail.com is not the only domain which can host Google Talk Jids; please use the appropriate domain part for your account (e.g. @googlemail.com for UK Gmail accounts).

Connection

Open the 'Connection' tab.

1. Check 'Use SSL encryption (to server). The 'Port' field will automatically change to 5223 - it's ok. **
2. Check 'Ignore SSL warnings' (what's this)
3. Check 'Allow Plaintext Login' - this is no need to worry. The SSL layer will protect your entire connection, including the password so nobody will be able to capture it on its way to the server
4. Check 'Send "Keep-alive" packets (for NAT timeouts)'
5. Check 'Manually Specify Server Host/Port:'
6. Enter 'talk.google.com' in the 'Host:' field and leave the 'Port:' field to '5223'
7. If you can't connect using port 5223, please try using port 443

Click 'Save.'

** Linux users must ensure that they have the QCA-TLS package installed first. SSL encryption will not work otherwise and you will not be able to connect to your Google Talk account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are these instructions different from Google's instructions?

First of all, Google uses Psi 0.9.3 in their instructions. This is the HowTo for Psi 0.10.

For Psi 0.9.3, please check the dedicated Google Talk HowTo for Psi 0.9.3.

Google's initial instructions had a minor mistake in them (this may have been fixed by now).

The instructions provided here have been tested by the Psi Team and have been proven to be correct.

Why does Psi use Port 5223 when the Google's instructions say to use port 5222?

Psi does not support StartTLS on port 5222. For more information about SSL/TLS, please check this FAQ entry.

Why do I get the "failed authenticity test" error?

The gmail.com certificate failed the authenticity test.
Reason: Certificate is self-signed.

This is not an error message, this is a warning message.

You can disable the warning by checking 'Ignore SSL warnings' in the Account Properties dialog.

Alternatively, in Linux, you can also save the certificate in your ~/.psi/certs/mycert.crt with the command :

openssl s_client -host gmail.com -port 5223

copy paste everything between --BEGIN and --END, including the BEGIN and END into a file ~/.psi/certs/mycert.crt

My Psi looks different from the one in the screenshots here

The screenshots were taken on Linux. As you probably know, Psi is a multiplatform client running on Windows, MacOS and Linux. The window borders, buttons, everything can look different, but behaves the same way.

The Google Talk HowTo for Psi 0.10 also features the really cool iconset, which was meant to be available with Psi-0.10 final. Test versions are deployed with older iconsets.

The official client connects on port 443. Can I do that with Psi?

Port 443 is reserved for the HTTPS protocol - the secure version of HTTP. The official client maintains a permanent connection on port 5222, just like any other Jabber/XMPP client in usual configurations. When 5222 is unavailable, Talk connects on 443. This was previously an undocumented extension but now port 443 can behave like 5223.

If you're behind a firewall or a proxy, you might also want to configure a proxy for that account.