Google Talk HowTo for Psi 0.9.3

From PsiWiki

This pages describes the steps required to get Psi 0.9.3 working with your Google Talk (GMail) account.

For the current Psi version 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 4.3 Preferences 5 Frequently Asked Questions 5.1 I'm using Linux. Why can't I connect to Google Talk? 5.2 Why are these instructions different than Google's instructions? 5.3 Why does Psi use Port 5223 when the Google's instructions say to use port 5222? 5.4 Why do I get the "failed authenticity test" error? 5.5 My Psi looks different than the one in the screenshots here

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').

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 '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
3. Check 'Send "Keep-alive" packets (for NAT timeouts)'
4. Check 'Manually Specify Server Host/Port:'
5. Enter 'talk.google.com' in the 'Host:' field and leave the 'Port:' field to '5223'

Preferences

Open the 'Preferences' tab.

1. Check 'Ignore SSL warnings' (what's this)

We also recommend checking:

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

Click 'Save.'

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm using Linux. Why can't I connect to Google Talk?

Google Talk requires SSL encryptions to their server(s). Please make sure that You have QCA-SSL plugin installed, as it is required by Psi to support SSL and TLS connections. This plugin can be found on under the downloads section of the Psi website. (This isn't limited to Linux only but the official packages for Windows and Mac OSX include this plugin)

Why are these instructions different than Google's instructions?

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. It appears because Google uses a self-signed certificate for the SSL/TLS connection. More information about this warning in this FAQ entry.

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

My Psi looks different than 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.