# [IRC] Couldn't look up your hostname

## Master One

I just tried to use IRC the very first time, but I can not connect to any IRC server due to the above mentioned error message.

This is what I did so far:

On the firewall-router I opened port 113 to be forwarded to my lanserver.

On my lanserver, I emerged fakeidentd, started it, and opened port 113 in shorewall.

On my workstation I also have shorewall runnning (but did not open any specific ports for IRC/identd).

I tried to connect to some irc servers using telnet from both machines (lanserver and workstation), but I always only get a response like the following:

```
telnet irc.inet.tele.dk 6667

Trying 193.163.220.3...

Connected to irc.inet.tele.dk.

Escape character is '^]'.

NOTICE AUTH :*** Looking up your hostname...

NOTICE AUTH :*** Checking Ident

NOTICE AUTH :*** Couldn't look up your hostname

NOTICE AUTH :*** Got Ident response

ERROR :Closing Link: [nobody@255.255.255.255] (Connection Timed Out)

Connection closed by foreign host.
```

The line with the "ERROR :Closing Link: ..." seems to differ depending on the server I try to connect to (one time this line did not show up at all, another time it showed my external IP address).

What am I missing here, so why can't it look up my hostname?

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## Master One

Ok, in the meantime, I found out, that I can connect to IRC servers. No idea, why the telnet-test did not work out, and why kopete is causing problems too, but KSirc definitely worked.

Nevertheless, the questions still remains, why it can not look up my hostname.

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## Master One

Still noone any idea, what the problem could be, if the hostname can not be looked up?

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## opentaka

prb your iptaables config?

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## Master One

I'm using shorewall, and I have no idea, if there is any special port to open for this to work.

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## Omadon

 *Master One wrote:*   

> I just tried to use IRC the very first time, but I can not connect to any IRC server due to the above mentioned error message.
> 
> This is what I did so far:
> 
> On the firewall-router I opened port 113 to be forwarded to my lanserver.
> ...

 

The remote ircd (irc daemon) is responsible for looking up your hostname.  It queries some given nameserver it has stored locally against the IP of your machine; the error cannot be helped from your side.

As for the "closing link" error, this is because you timed out from your registration commands.  The ircd is waiting for you to send the NAME and NICK packets.  Try it with some client that automates those commands (xchat) and you should connect fine.

[edit]

Also, you don't need to run an ident server.  If the ircd cannot connect to port 113, it will just assign you some ident with a ~ in front ("~masterone") depending on the information specified with the NAME command.  If your hostname times out (which it seems to be doing), it will just assign your hostname to be the same as your unresolved IP.  :Smile: 

I suggest using X-Chat as your client.  It's easy to use and has lots of configuration options.

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