On 2007-03-16, Skyhooks > wrote:
> Is it just me, or is there some sort of problem with the chat server(s)?

(sigh) One last time.

The problem is not the chat server, it's the DNS (Domain Name System)
servers. It's hard for people to remember the octal number IP
address, 64.233.187.99. But, it's easy to remember Google.com. Soooo,
DNS servers takes names like Google.com and translate them to the
harder to remember but technically correct IP address number, which is
then used to locate and connect to the target server internet address
(IP). There may also be more than one numbered IP address for one
name or more than one name for one numbered IP address.

For example:

Name: google.com
Address: 64.233.167.99
Name: google.com
Address: 72.14.207.99
Name: google.com
Address: 64.233.187.99

If you put one of the above numbers in the URL window of your web
browser, you will get Google.com. Simple, eh?

Such is the case for the rfc chat server, whatever dot penguinpowered
dot whatever. All those variations of the name resolve to an IP
address number:

IRC:
Server: irc.penguinpowered.ca
Port: 6667



Using the M$DOS command, nslookup, you get:

C:\> nslookup irc.penguinpowered.ca

Name: irc.penguinpowered.ca
Address: 209.160.36.31
Name: irc.penguinpowered.ca
Address: 66.38.196.98

Same goes with all those irc(somenumber).penguinpowered.ca variants:
Name: irc1.penguinpowered.ca
Address: 66.38.196.98

Name: irc2.penguinpowered.ca
Address: 209.160.36.31

OK, let's recap. yada.penguin.yada is just a name which must be
resolved (translated) to a number by overworked DNS servers. Quite
often, all those DNS servers talking to each other and sharing all
those domain names get all confused and drop a name or two here and
there (just like rfc). In fact, whenever you have problems reaching
any website, more often than not, it's not the target website/server
that is down, it's those pesky DNS servers that are down or confused
or just having a bad day.

So, yada.penguin.yada sometimes is hard to reach. But, if you put in
the IP address *NUMBER*!!, the whole DNS system is completely ignored
and bypassed and you can go directly to the penguin chat server. See?
So, once again I implore chatty kathy to put the IP address "numbers"
on the rfc website and for you folks trying to access the chat room to
use the IP address number (209.160.36.31) instead of the domain name
(irc.penguinpowered.ca).

My irc client, xchat, has 209.160.36.31/6667 in the server name (the
/6667 is the port number. See above). I *never* have a problem
reaching the chat room. It always brings up the chat server
instantly.

Whew! If you don't get it by now, may the fleas of a thousand camels
infest your butter bell.

nb