Ports:Go check out
http://www.portforward.com/Servers:Let's look at some DALnet servers...
Hubs (you select one and it tries all servers connected to the hub):irc.dal.net
us.dal.net
eu.dal.net
Servers (specific servers... lets you use one that you like):jade.va.us.dal.net
To try a specific server, you first need to know what the server name is. Most networks have a website that lists all the servers. Go look for a listing. When you have one, type:
/server servername
Example:
/server jade.va.us.dal.net