It's preferable to use the general network alias (hostname), but as DalNet announces it's
list of servers, you may connect using a specific server's address - via
/server <specific server here>The following is more a general reply to the "dns pool error" issue...
Some infoDNS - If you try to connect to an IRC network via the hostname (like "irc.dal.net"), mIRC has to look up the IP address(es) associated with that hostname. The actual lookup is done by windows, querying the DNS server of your current network connection. It's a very common procedure - the same thing happens if you enter some url in your webbrowser to open a website.
Pool - "DNS pool" describes the fact that more than one IP is associated with some hostname. Big IRC networks consist of many IRC servers, of which some but not necessarily all accept "regular" client connections. Those people running the IRC network will put some out of the available IP addresses in the "pool", so if for example a single server fails, you're still able to connect as usual using the IRC network's host address. It's a common method to change the IPs (servers) in the DNS pool frequently - to distribute "load" equally on the networks' servers - often called "round robin". And you may not take for granted that a specific server is available at all, be it under it's "name" or it's IP.
So what?- Make sure neither a firewall nor an AntiVirus software is blocking IRC communication (that is: you've been able to chat on that network previously, and you didn't change any FW/AV/Router settings since). You could e.g. disable your firewall temporarily for testing purposes.
- mIRC may have used "old" (cached) pool data. Clear windows' local DNS resolving cache: in windows: "start" > "run" execute the command: "
cmd /k ipconfig /flushdns" (without the quotation marks). After you've cleared the cache, retry connecting to the network:
/server irc.dal.net- The problem may also be on the "network's side". Maybe the "pool" is simply not up to date (it contains "dead" servers).
- Another possible souce of error: mIRC will try to connect on the port(s) specified in the settings for this server (mIRC options > connect > servers), or at the "default port" (mIRC options > connect > options). And maybe not all the servers in the pool accept a connection on your "usual" port.
While virtually every IRC network will accept connections on ports 6667 or 6669, you may try another port (e.g. in the range of 6665-7000). You can "enforce" a specific port by adding the port number to the server address, e.g.:
/server irc.dal.net 7000- Though
very unlikely, the problem may also be caused on the "ISP's side": if the DNS server isn't working properly, you may get wrong DNS replies. But in case you're frequently unable to open websites, you should check the DNS server settings of your network connection, and maybe use another DNS server.
