Client access with Jitsi

Jitsi - A GUI Client for XMPP chat

Table of Contents

  • Client UI
  • Configuring the Client
    • Options
    • Add Account

We use the Jitsi SIP-Communications client because the client best meets our immediate needs:

  1. text-chat
  2. audio and video chat
  3. specifying the server by IP-Address

The ability to specify the server by IP-Address is important:

Below are the basic instructions for configuration of the Jitsi client.

Client UI

The Jitsi Client User Interface (UI) has two modes:

  1. Full Window Application
  2. Minimised (icon in the Notification Toolbar)

Full Window Application

The Full Window User Interface, displays your connection status (e.g. Offline or Available) and the status of your “Contacts”.


Figure: Jitsi Main Window (“Offline”)

The initial client will (obviously) not be connected, as no accounts have been configured, and we have no “Contacts”

Minimised

When not in active use, you can “hide” away the Jitsi client by minimising it, and it will be accessible from the Windows Task Bar “Notification Area”

To get at the menu bar from the “Minimised” application:

  1. Mouse “Right-Click” on the Jitsi Icon.

Figure: Jitsi Notification Icon

The initial minimised client will (obviously) not be connected, and as such will be “greyed out” by losing all it’s colours.

Figure: Jitsi Notification Icon (coloured when an account is connected)

Configuring the Client

The Jitsi client runs with a Window or minimised and accessible from it’s Task Bar Notification Icon. The Account items are:

  • Network Type: Jabber
  • Jabber-ID or Username: user-name**@example.com**
  • Password: as-provided-to-you
  • Advanced Settings: Connection
    • Connect Server: (only necessary if you’re DNS setting is not correct)

The following is a guide to specifying the above configuration.

  1. Show Options
  2. Accounts -> Add
  3. Add Accounts - Select a Network
  4. Add Accounts - Network List - Jabber
  5. Add Accounts - Details
    • Add Accounts - Advanced Settings
    • Add Accounts - Advanced Settings - Connection
    • Add Accounts - Advanced Settings - Summary
  6. Options - Account Configured
  7. Active Client

1. Show Options

To get at the Options dialog:

From the Running Jitsi client, select the

  1. Tools Menu
  2. Options command

From the Jitsi notification Icon,

  1. Right Click the icon and
  2. Select the “Options” command

Figure: From the Jitsi Client: Tools –> Options

To get the menus from the Jitsi Notification Icon, “Right-Click” on the icon.

Figure: From the Jitsi Notification Icon: –> Options

2. Options - Accounts -> Add

From the Options dialog box, make sure you are:

  1. in the “Accounts” Tab (i.e. the Accounts toolbar item is sunken/selected)
  2. Click on the “Add” button.

Figure: From the Options dialog box: Accounts –> Add

3. Add Accounts - Select a Network

The Add new account dialogue box starts by requiring we select a network

  1. Click on the select network drop-down list-box to view a list of account-types supported by Jitsi.

Figure: From Add Account dialogue box: Select a Network

4. Add Accounts - Network List - Jabber

We are running an XMPP/Jabber Server (ejabberd) so:

  1. Clicking on the select network will give us our list
  2. Click on the JABBER network
  3. [Add] is not enabled, do not click it.


Figure: From Select Network drop down list, Select Jabber

Clicking on the JABBER network will give us the configuration options for this server type.

5. Add Accounts - Details

The contents of the [Add new account] dialogue will change to give more options that we need to complete.

In the appropriate text-fields, enter the details you’ve been given:

  1. Existing Account (we’ve created the account, leave this as the selected option)
  2. Username: make sure you use the full Jabber ID name user-name@example.com Specify the username and the @ server-name.
  3. Password: ******
  4. Advanced: If you have not set up your DNS SRV Settings, then click on the Advanced button


Figure: Complete the Add new account details and select Advanced.

After completing the dialogue:

  • If you have not set up your DNS SRV Settings, then click on the Advanced button.
  • Click Add to complete your configurations.
a) Add Accounts - Advanced Settings

The advanced settings allow modifying the standard:

  • Account information, as well as
  • Connection Settings and
  • ICE Configuration Settings.


Figure: In this dialog, select the Connection Tab

We need to modify the Connection settings, so select this tab by clicking on the Connection tab.

b) Add Accounts - Advanced Settings - Connection

In the Connection tab, we want to:

  1. Specify the Connect Server
  2. Click the Next button


Figure: Complete the “Connect Server” details and click Next

When the DNS SRV records are correctly configured, then this field will be your Jabber-ID @example.com hostname.

In a split environment, such as ours, one site will have correct SRV records, whilst others have to specify the Address for the Connect Server.

For Vietnam users, specify the connect server as: 10.9.0.1

c) Add Accounts - Advanced Settings - Summary

The next dialogue, is a summary of the configurations we’ve specified.


Figure: Complete the “Connect Server” details and click Next

Clicking on Sign In will complete the account configuration, and attempt to log into the XMPP/Jabber Server.

6. Options - Account Configured

Returning to the Options dialogue box, your account should show on the list.


Figure: Your configured account should be displayed.

If your configuration is successful, we can close the dialog box. Otherwise, you may get an error that the account is not valid, or your password is incorrect.

Close the dialog box to return to the Jitsi client.

7. Active Client

When you have successfully configured your account, the client will connect to the server and the display will change.


Figure: You are connected (Green Online button).

The standard window will display a “Green” button, indicating you are successfully logged in.


Figure: You are connected (Jitsi logo is colourful).

The minimised notification icon will be in colour.

Errors ?

If you have entered the wrong password, you will be prompted to re-enter the password.

If you have entered the wrong Connection Server, the connection will time-out/fail and you will need to edit your account settings.

If you’re password is correct, but you have entered the wrong Jabber ID (i.e. username@example.com) you must delete the listed account, and create a new account.