Protocols/OSCAR/Sign On

OSCAR Protocol

Introduction • Terms • Clients

Basic

Datatypes • FLAP • SNAC • TLV

UUIDs • Errors • Tool IDs

Host Interaction

Rate Limits • Migration • Messages

Other Services

ADMIN • ADVERT • ALERT

BART • BOS • BUCP • CHAT

CHAT_NAV

Tutorials

Sign On • BART • Rendezvous

ICBM • Locate • Buddies

Foodgroups

OSERVICE (0x0001)

LOCATE (0x0002)

BUDDY (0x0003)

ICBM (0x0004)

ADVERT (0x0005)

INVITE (0x0006)

ADMIN (0x0007)

POPUP (0x0008)

PD (0x0009)

USER_LOOKUP (0x000A)

STATS (0x000B)

TRANSLATE (0x000C)

CHAT_NAV (0x000D)

CHAT (0x000E)

ODIR (0x000F)

BART (0x0010)

FEEDBAG (0x0013)

ICQ (0x0015)

BUCP (0x0017)

ALERT (0x0018)

PLUGIN (0x0022)

UNNAMED_FG_24 (0x0024)

MDIR (0x0025)

ARS (0x044A)

NINA clients (AIM, ICQ, et al) have several ways to authenticate and sign on to the network. While AOL may have discontinued all legacy methods, we have brought them back so that all clients and other software that may interact with the network will be fully functional.

This page provides an overview of all of the available methods, primarily from the perspective of the sequence of events and linking to pages with further information.

Stage 1: Initial Authorization

Over the years, the NINA/ICQ/AIM backend has supported several different methods for authentication. Until the NINA project began taking over the responsibility for the OSCAR protocol, the only publicly supported login method was clientLogin.

We actually support all authentication methods, even legacy ones, in order to support the full range of clients. Due to complexity and level of detail, each method had been separated into sub-articles.

FLAP

This is the oldest method of sign on, used prior to AIM 3.5. It is not to be confused with the FLAP-level sign on for BOSS and other services.

BUCP

This method is used from AIM 3.5 to AIM 5.9, for ICQ, and can be wrapped in TLS.

UAS

Kerberos-based authentication is used in AIM 6+.

clientLogin

This web-based login can be used by both OSCAR clients and WebAPI clients.

Stage 2: Connecting to BOSS

Connect to the host and port (optionally over TLS) provided in the previous step, regardless of the method it was obtained.

Step #1 - Send FLAP SIGNON Frame

Once connected, the client should send a FLAP__FRAME_SIGNON with the login cookie and any version information it would like to provide.

Field	Size	Value
u08	flapHeader.startMarker	'*'
u08	flapHeader.frameType	0x01 (FLAP__FRAME_SIGNON)
u16	flapHeader.sequenceNumber	XX
u16	flapHeader.payloadLength	YY
u32	version	0x01
u16	tlvs[0].tag	0x06 (FLAP__SIGNON_TAGS_LOGIN_COOKIE)
u16	tlvs[0].len	0x100
blob	tlvs[0].value	base64 decoded $cookie value from Step #2
u16	tlvs[1].tag	0x4A (OSERVICE__MULTICONN_FLAGS)
u16	tlvs[1].len	0x01
u08	tlvs[1].value	0x01

1. It should then listen for a FLAP__FRAME_SIGNON from BOSS before continuing.
2. Once it has received the FLAP__FRAME_SIGNON, the client can start sending SNAC messages to the server.

Stage 3: Going Online

Once the connection has been established and the FLAP signon frames have been exchanged, the client can start sending SNACs to the server.

Step 1: Rights Requests

Usually the first thing the client sends are all the rights queries and a FEEDBAG__QUERY SNAC. It can and should send all these requests in parallel for a quicker login experience.

1. Client queries the BUDDY foodgroup for rights: BUDDY__RIGHTS_QUERY
2. Query the PD foodgroup rights: PD_RIGHTS_QUERY
3. Query the LOCATE foodgroup rights: LOCATE_RIGHTS_QUERY
4. Query the FEEDBAG foodgroup rights: FEEDBAG_RIGHTS_QUERY
5. Query what the Buddy List and preferences are: FEEDBAG_QUERY

Step 2: FEEDBAG Use and Client Online

Once all the rights replies and feedbag replies are received, it is time to tell the server that the client is ready to proceed.

1. First tell the server that the feedbag looks OK and the client is ready to use it: FEEDBAG_USE
2. Next we tell the client we are ready to appear online to everyone else and our version numbers: OSERVICE_CLIENT_ONLINE

Step 3: Online

The client is now considered online, visible to other users, and will start to receive BUDDY__ARRIVED for any online buddies.

Next steps:

• Getting a User's Buddy Icon
• Sending and Receiving typing events.
• Sending and Receiving IMs.
• Getting a User's Buddy Info

FLAP Login Sign On Errors (Temp)

Standard Format Login Errors during Phase 1

These occur in response to the initial Phase 1 login command sent from the client. All Standard Format login errors follow this format. This error command is always in the Command Family 0x04. All variable-length strings are assumed to be 1 byte long when doing position numbers.

Position	Data Size	Data
1	Word	0x0001
3	Word	Screen Name Length (not including null)
5	ASCIIZ String	Screen Name that failed (null-terminated)
6	Byte	0x04
7	Word	Error Message URL Length (not including null)
9	ASCIIZ String	Error Message URL (null-terminated)
10	Byte	0x08
11	Byte	0x00
12	Byte	0x02
13	Word	Specific Error Code

The current list of known "Specific Error Code"s:

Specific Error Code	Error Msg URL	Meaning
0x0001	http://www.aim.aol.com/errors/UNREGISTERED_SCREENNAME.html	Invalid Screen Name
0x0005	http://www.aim.aol.com/errors/MISMATCH_PASSWD.html	SN/Pasword Mismatch (Invalid Password)

TLV Class: FLAP__SIGNON_TAGS

These tags are used in the FLAP signon frame to BOS. They appear right after the 4 byte version number.

@MAKE NOTE: Difference between ones used if BUCP is in use and ones if clientLogin or w/e was used

Name	Tag	Type	Notes
OSERVICE__TLV_TAGS_CLIENT_IDENTITY	0x03	string	Yet another client name
OSERVICE__TLV_TAGS_LOGIN_COOKIE	0x06	blob	Login cookie returned by startOSCARSession
OSERVICE__TLV_TAGS_MAJOR_VERSION	0x17	uint16 (word)	Client major version: (1) if the client version is "1.2.3"
OSERVICE__TLV_TAGS_MINOR_VERSION	0x18	uint16 (word)	Client minor version: (2) if the client version is "1.2.3"
OSERVICE__TLV_TAGS_POINT_VERSION	0x19	uint16 (word)	Client minor version: (3) if the client version is "1.2.3"
OSERVICE__TLV_TAGS_BUILD_NUM	0x1A	uint16 (word)	Client build number, usually monotonically increasing
OSERVICE__TLV_TAGS_MULTICONN_LEVEL	0x4A	uint8 (byte)	[Class: OSERVICE__MULTICONN_FLAGS] Should almost always be 0x01
OSERVICE__TLV_TAGS_CLIENT_RECONNECT	0x94	uint8 (byte)	Client claims it is reconnecting because it got knocked off

Class: OSERVICE__MULTICONN_FLAGS

These flags control how multiple instances are handled by the servers and if current sessions need to be bumped off when a new session signs on.

Name	Value	Notes
OSERVICE__MULTICONN_LEVEL_OLD_CLIENT	0x00	Don't use
OSERVICE__MULTICONN_LEVEL_MULTI	0x01	This is a recent client that understands multiple instances
OSERVICE__MULTICONN_LEVEL_SINGLE	0x03	This is a recent client that understands multiple instances but does not want them