retro-aim-server

Retro AIM Server Docker Setup

This guide explains how to set up an SSL-enabled instance of Retro AIM Server using Docker.

Prerequisites

• Git
• Docker Desktop
• Unix-like terminal with Makefile installed (use WSL2 for Windows)

Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/mk6i/retro-aim-server.git
cd retro-aim-server

2. Build Docker Images

This builds Docker images for:

• Certificate generation
• SSL termination
• The Retro AIM Server runtime

make docker-images

3. Configure SSL Certificate

Option A: Generate a Self-Signed Certificate

If you don’t have an SSL certificate, you can generate a self-signed certificate. The following creates a certificate under certs/server.pem.

make docker-cert OSCAR_HOST=ras.dev

Replace ras.dev with the hostname clients will use to connect.

Option B: Use an Existing Certificate

If you already have an SSL certificate, place the PEM-encoded file at:

certs/server.pem

4. Generate NSS Certificate Database

This creates the NSS certificate database in certs/nss/, which must be installed on each AIM 6.2+ client.

make docker-nss

5. Start the Server

make docker-run OSCAR_HOST=ras.dev

Replace ras.dev with the hostname clients will use to connect.

6. Client Configuration

Certificate Database

Follow the AIM 6.x client setup instructions to install the certs/nss/ database on each client.

Resolving Hostname

If OSCAR_HOST (e.g., ras.dev) is not a real domain with DNS configured, you’ll need to add it to each client’s hosts file so clients can resolve it.

• Linux/macOS: /etc/hosts
• Windows: C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

Add a line like this, replacing the IP with your server’s IP address:

127.0.0.1 ras.dev

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