Setting Up Spark

Introduction to Spark

Some of Spark's benefits as an instant messaging client include:

• Free for use on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Unix
• Supports Jabber (XMPP), Yahoo, AIM/ICQ, and MSN chat protocols
• Additional features include: a plugin that allows you to integrate voice, file transfer, and text; spell checking; group chat room bookmarks; and tabbed conversations.

Download

Download the latest Spark client for your operating system at the Spark Downloads page.

Installation

After you've downloaded the software, you need to double-click on the file and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.

After installation has finished, you'll have a new Spark icon in your Start menu (Windows) or Applications folder (Mac). You may also have a new Spark icon on your desktop.

Configuration

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1. Start your Spark software.
2. Enter the following: 
   Username: Your NetID
   Password: Your Active Directory password
   Server: chat.illinois.edu

   Show an image of the Spark login window

   
3. Click on the Login link at the bottom of the window. You will now be logged in to Spark, and a new window will appear.

Show an image of the connected Spark window

Adding contacts

To add new University contacts to your Illinois Chat contact list:

1. Click the Add Contact icon:
2. The Add Contact window will open.
3. Add your contact's information as follows:
   Username: <Contact's NetID>@illinois.edu
   (optional) Nickname: Their name
   (optional) Group: A group you associate this person with

Show an image of the "Add Contact" window


4. Click Add.

Use this process to continue adding the NetIDs of each person you'd like to communicate with in Illinois Chat.

Setting your account to allow logging in from multiple computers

If you have more than one computer (for example, an office desktop and a laptop or iPhone), you'll want to give each computer a different "resource name." If each computer has a different resource name, when you log in from a different computer, your instant messages will be sent to the computer or device you're actively using at the moment without kicking you out of the account you were singed into originally. This feature is further described in Illinois Chat: Logging In from More Than One Computer.

If you find that you've accidentally assigned the same resource name to more than one computer, you can edit each computer's resource name to be different than the others by following the steps below.

1. If you're already logged in to Spark, log out so that you see the login window. (If you're not logged in, launch Spark and look for the login window.)

Show an image of the login window.


2. Click the Advanced button at the bottom center of the login window. The Preferences window appears.

Show an image of the Preferences window.


3. Provide a unique name in the Resource field.
4. Click Ok.