This guide explains how to download, configure and run Retro AIM Server on Linux (x86_64).
Download Retro AIM Server
Grab the latest Linux release from the releases page and extract
the archive. The extracted folder contains the application and a configuration file settings.env.
Configure Server Address
Set OSCAR_HOST in settings.env to a hostname that AIM clients can connect to. The default setting is 127.0.0.1,
which is enough to connect clients on the same PC.
In order to connect AIM clients on your LAN (including VMs with bridged networking), you can find the appropriate IP
address by running ifconfig from the terminal
Start the Application
Run the following command to launch Retro AIM Server:
./retro_aim_server
Retro AIM Server will run in the terminal, ready to accept AIM client connections.
Configure AIM Clients
To do a quick sanity check, start an AIM client, sign in to the server, and send yourself an instant message.
Configure the AIM client to connect to the host set in OSCAR_HOST in settings.env. (If you didn’t change the
config, the address is 127.0.0.1.)
See the Client Configuration Guide for more detail on setting up the AIM client.
By default, you can enter any screen name and password at the AIM sign-in screen to auto-create an account.
Account auto-creation is meant to be a convenience feature for local development. In a production deployment, you should set
DISABLE_AUTH=falseinsettings.envto enforce account authentication. User accounts can be created via the Management API.
Additional Setup
For optional configuration steps that enhance your Retro AIM Server experience, refer to the Additional Setup Guide.