Command Line Parameters (Switches)

To connect to a specific room on starting hotComm, add this to the hotComm startup command line: /arc=relay:room, where relay=the relay server and room= the room. For example: /arc=relay:support

Start hotComm automatically when your computer starts. This parameter is set when you check the Autostart option in the hotComm icon menu.

Set this client to a specific IP address, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address and nnnnn is the port number.

Use the /c option if you are running multiple copies of hotComm on the same computer and you are using different IP addresses for each copy. The /c parameter specifies the source of incoming connections.

A multi-NIC (Network Interface Card) PC is not the same as two PCs sharing a cable modem. It's a PC that has more than one network card. Most of the time a multi-NIC PC is configured as a server that has its own intranet on one NIC, a gateway to the external Internet on another NIC, and more separate domain gateway(s) on each of the extra NICs.

When computers share a cable modem, each computer has its own NIC (thus IP) and is connected to the cable modem via an external router or built-in router allowing them to share the cable connection.

Set this client to a specific address, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address.

Use this option if you have a DUAL WAN ROUTER with multiple Internet connections that may switch back and forth between them. This option specifies which one of the Internet conenctions to use, to ensure that hotComm stays connected through one of the connections without switching.

To find the IP, run ipconfig in a DOS window. You should see a different IP address for each of the Internet connections. Select one and use it in the -c option.

Note that you may need to correct the specified IP address if your router uses dynamic addressing and the actual address used changes.

Specify the external incoming IP address for your router, if the external incoming IP is different than the external outgoing IP.

Close the current running hotComm. Introduced in .952 revision. The installer will run into problems if you're upgrading any pre-.952 installation because the old hotComm will start up before the installer does the upgrade.

Start hotComm without opening Docmgr.dll. Use if you get a "failed to open empty document" message on starting hotComm.

Use the -gn option to reduce color depth in the camera images displayed. Color is represented in three components. With this option you can reduce the number of bits per component.

Option	Bits per component	Description
-gn	Full color	No change in color depth (default).
-gn3	3 bits	Reduce color depth to only 3 bits per component. (9 bit total).
-gn4	4 bits	Reduce color depth to 4 bits per component. (12 bit total)

2/21/08

If moderators flip on and off the timed camera a lot and find the screen flashing distracting as we enable and disable the mirror driver, they can add a -gq on the command line and it will leave the mirror driver active until they exit hotComm. Then it will only flash the first time they start it up.

7/12/07 - by default, the Mirror Driver now remains active.

Identify a port for hotComm connections to the 1stWorks VNS server, where <x> is the selected port. For example, -hv:8080. The port must be one defined to your system as an HTTP port. hotComm will format its transmissions to look like HTTP.

Note: use this parameter in situations where outgoing ports are blocked so that hotComm is unable to get online.

Identify a pre-defined set of ports to use for this copy of hotComm, where <x> is the identifier of a set of ports. For example, -i2. For a list of sets, see NATs- Multiple computers with the same external IP in Firewall Info.

Using -i parameter is equivalent to using both the -pw and -ph parameters.

Run the 1stWorks Keep Alive program every <x> number of seconds. The Keep Alive program helps prevent interruptions in your Internet connection by initiating activity according to the timing of this parameter.

Example: -k30 runs the Keep Alive program every 30 seconds.

The -k options are:

Disables the Mirror Driver, even if installed.

7/31/07 - note that you may need to include a command line option in front of /mdx for it to work. In that case, a harmless one to use is -k30, so the command line is -k30 /mdx .

Always check the network for new connections whenever you start hotComm or get reconnected during a session, instead of using the stored connections in NET.HCD. This is the equivalent of always deleting NET.HCD before connecting. This may not be available prior to 7.07.

Do not accept Java client connections. [This prevents connections from hotComm Lite users who click an IM-Live link but then are not successfully converted to a hotComm Lite connection.]

Use TCP connections for all Voice connections, do not use UDP for Voice.

Do not check for changes in version numbers. Use this option with dial-up people and others who do not want to use the auto update.

Use the proxy server for all connections.

Note: the -nx and -nz parameters have the same function.

Use the proxy server for all connections.

Note: the -nx and -nz parameters have the same function.

Pre-set the audio compression level for your audio output. This is the Quality setting in your hotComm Recording Properties (right-click the mic icon).

The standard compression level is: /p6. The smallest usable compression level is: /p2.

Specify which port to use for incoming non-HTTP connections, where xxxxxx is the port number. For example: -ph=28866 configures hotComm to use port 28866 for hotComm connections. See Ports to Open in Firewall Info.

Typically, -ph and -pw are used in combination to specify the full set of ports needed. For example: -pw=8180 -ph=28866 configures hotComm to use ports 8180 for web connections and 28866 for hotComm connections.

Note: Prior to hotComm 3.0, two non-HTTP ports were required and this parameter specified the first of a set of two ports, such that -ph=28866 specified ports 28866 and 28867.

Specify which HTTP port to use for incoming HTTP connections, where xxxx is the port number. For example: -ph=8180 configures hotComm to use port 8180. See Ports to Open in Firewall Info.

Typically, -ph and -pw are used in combination to specify the full set of ports needed. For example: -pw=8180 -ph=28866 configures hotComm to use ports 8180 for HTTP connections and 28866 for non-HTTP connections.

Excludes port 80. hotComm will not try to connect to port 80 on the 1stWorks relay servers, and will try 8080 instead. (There are http proxy servers that do not allow atempts to connect to port 80.)

Quick Launch. Tells hotComm to skip many of the connection tests on startup. This makes it faster to connect.

Tells the Content Relay server to handle all connections as proxied.

This means that no participants will connect directly to other participants.

This is often used in combination with -TU.

Resubmit registration data to the 1stWorks VNS server. Note: registration data is automatically submitted after the first unsuccessful login, in case of an unexpected problem with the VNS server.

hotComm Lite only: open the "Your hotComm Identity" window, to enter registration information.

hotComm Lite only: open the "Activation Key" window, to enter a registration Activation Key.

Connect to a specific 1stWorks VNS server (IP:port), where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP address and nnnnn is the port number.

/skx disables the hotComm client skins.

/sko turns on the hotComm client skins.

Note: applies to clients that support skins.

Assigns bandwidth to produce a flat tree (no participants re-broadcast to anyone else). The Content Release server is assigned a bandwidth of: 256. Each participant is assigned a bandwidth of: 1.

This is often used in combination with -QS.

Disables connection to the Twain layer.

Also see: /vx and  /v-  /t-

Disables connection to the video and Twain layers. On some machines, the video amd Twain drivers do not work with hotComm. User will not be able to use webcam.

Also see: /tx and /vx

Voice (VoIP) parameters: flat or 3D mixing

Voice (VoIP) parameters: software or hardware buffering

Specifies that the Content Relay server itself does not have voice handling.

Disables check for webcam and DirectX drivers on startup. Also disables webcam functionality. (This allows you to start hotComm, and then configure DirectX and webvideo drivers later.)

Enables webcam functionality in the hotComm CL client. Note: hotComm Lite does not support webcam. hotComm Standard/Pro requires a Pro license.
10/17/08

Wait this number of minutes before discarding old packets. The default is 2 minutes. If there are many dial-up modem users in a session, this allows packets to be thrown away after they've accumulated up to this point.

Do not load the TTS (text-to-speech) com object. Use this option if you are prompted to install the Microsoft TTS library or another application that uses the Microsoft TTS library when you start hotComm. The text-to-speech feature will not be available to you.