= Setting up MSN with BitlBee =
{{{#!wiki warning
'''It's dead again'''
After two additional years, MSNP21 is gone too.
You should use [[HowtoSkypeWeb|skypeweb]] instead.
The rest of this page contains outdated information.
}}}
== Network status ==
Visit http://ismsndeadyet.com
== Adding the account itself ==
To add a MSN account to !BitlBee:
{{{
account add msn username@hotmail.com password
account msn on
}}}
This should be enough for most people.
You can also leave out the password and set it afterwards with /oper.
== FAQ ==
Q: Why would I want MSN?
A: It lets you talk with skype contacts who have microsoft accounts without installing skype, and seems to be fairly reliable.
Q: Isn't it going to die?
A: Maybe! Maybe not! Who cares? It still works.
Q: Doesn't MSN use the XMPP protocol?
A: No. MSN and MSNXMPP are two different things. MSNXMPP was just a gateway to connect to MSN through XMPP, but it's never been the main way to use MSN.<
>
<
>
The MSNXMPP servers have been shutdown as of december 2013. '''The old protocol still works.''' Use the instructions above to add the account.
Q: Is OAuth supported?
A: Not by this protocol.
== Versions ==
3.4.1 works. Any earlier version doesn't.
== Troubleshooting ==
=== "Login error: Connection timeout" after "Authenticated, getting buddy list" ===
If you haven't upgraded yet, this is what the blocked ApplicationID error looks like.
{{{
<@root> msn - Logging in: Connecting
<@root> msn - Logging in: Connected to server, waiting for reply
<@root> msn - Logging in: Transferring to other server
<@root> msn - Logging in: Connected to server, waiting for reply
<@root> msn - Logging in: Authenticated, getting buddy list
<@root> msn - Login error: Connection timeout
<@root> msn - Logging in: Signing off..
}}}
=== "Error during Passport authentication: (null)" ===
The most common error, usually means "location blocked".
See HowtoFixMsn for a solution.
This error says "(null)" because bitlbee can't parse the error message to show something more meaningful. Because of this, it could also get shown for other error codes.
=== "Error reported by MSN server: Authentication failed" ===
This error can mean that the account is "temporarily blocked" and you need to verify it by providing a phone number.
It has also been seen when using a non-primary 'alias' address to log in to an account (just switch to the correct one).
Check your account [[https://account.live.com/Activity|recent activity]] page for more details, and see HowtoFixMsn.
=== "Error during Passport authentication: wsse:FailedAuthentication (Authentication Failure)" ===
This error almost always means that the password is incorrect.
=== "BitlBee - Received offline message. BitlBee can't show these" ===
You'll have to use a different client to fetch those messages (pidgin, amsn, emesene, etc)
The reason this message is shown is because the relevant code isn't implemented in bitlbee yet. [[http://msnpiki.msnfanatic.com/index.php/MSNP13:Offline_IM|Patches welcome]]
Server side support of offline messages has been disabled - if you actually get this message, let us know in #bitlbee!
=== A groupchat opens for individual conversations ===
MSN groupchats are weird. Your bitlbee is confused.
(known bug)
== A note about outlook.com ==
[[http://outlook.com/|Outlook.com]] is the new hotmail.com / msn.com / live.com. Some useful stuff you can do with it:
* Log in with any account previously registered with passport.net (yes, you can use anyusername@anydomain.example.com and get an empty email inbox)
* Set account aliases, which are other email addreses that point to the same microsoft account.
* Register new accounts that can be used with msn and skype.
* Use aliases to rename the registered accounts to any existing email address.
* View the "[[https://account.live.com/Activity|recent activity]]" of the account - mostly successful/failed logins, and security challenges.
* A few other neat security related features (two step auth, security codes, mobile authenticator app, etc)