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start a channel
this page contains step-by-step instructions for starting your own channel.
every channel is associated with a sender and receiver key pair: only the person (or people) with the sender key can broadcast on the channel, and receivers can use the receiver key to verify that the broadcasts are authentic.
to subscribe to your channel, your receivers must be able to get your receiver key. There are several ways that this can happen, and we describe some of the more common methods below.
method 1: just start broadcasting
starting a channel with this method involves two steps: generating a key and sending out broadcasts. This is the least reliable of all of the methods, since receivers must discover your channel in the prebroadcast catcher, which can contain all sorts of spam or deceitful content. However, this method requires the least amount of work on the part of the sender. More detailed steps are given below.
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| 1. | download kast, install it, and start it. |
| 2. | point your web browser to http://localhost:8085 to connect to your kast node's user interface. |
| 3. | go to the key generation form in kast by clicking the "keys" link. |
| 4. | pick a name for your channel and enter it. Enter a random seed string for your key by pounding on the keyboard for a bit. Click the "generate" button. |
| 5. | use the broadcast form in kast to send files out on your channel. Make sure to leave the "private" box unchecked. |
| 6. | your receivers will see your broadcasts in the prebroadcast catcher, where they can click to subscribe. |
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method 2: post a key on your website
starting a channel using your website involves three steps: generating a key, posting the key to the web, and making a subscribe link. More detailed steps are given below.
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| 1. | download kast, install it, and start it. |
| 2. | point your web browser to http://localhost:8085 to connect to your kast node's user interface. |
| 3. | go to the key generation form in kast by clicking the "keys" link. |
| 4. | pick a name for your channel and enter it. Enter a random seed string for your key by pounding on the keyboard for a bit. Click the "generate" button. |
| 5. | look on your hard drive in the "kast" folder for the "receiver_keys" folder. Find the key with the same name as your channel in this folder (for example, myChannel.key). |
| 6. | upload the receiver key to your web server (using FTP or whatever method you usually use to upload files to your web server). |
| 7. | go to the subscription link generation screen to construct one-click subscription link HTML for your channel. |
| 8. | add the link HTML to your web page. |
| 9. | use the broadcast form in kast to send files out on your channel. Check the "private" box if you do not want receivers to be able to subscribe to your channel from the prebroadcast catcher. |
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method 3: recommend your new channel
if you do not have a website, but you still want a reliable way of distributing your receiver key, recommendations may be your method of choice. Recommendations are sent on existing channels and are therefore secure (in other words, they cannot be faked). If you have an established channel, you can recommend your new channel to your current subscribers. If you do not have an established channel, you can also try to convince the owner of an established channel (perhaps one of your friends) to recommend your new channel to their subscribers.
the process of starting a channel to be recommended involves two steps: generating a key and getting the key to the recommending channel owner. More detailed steps are given below.
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| 1. | download kast, install it, and start it. |
| 2. | point your web browser to http://localhost:8085 to connect to your kast node's user interface. |
| 3. | go to the key generation form in kast by clicking the "keys" link. |
| 4. | pick a name for your channel and enter it. Enter a random seed string for your key by pounding on the keyboard for a bit. Click the "generate" button. |
| 5. | look on your hard drive in the "kast" folder for the "receiver_keys" folder. Find the key with the same name as your channel in this folder (for example, myChannel.key). |
| 6. | if you own an established channel, send a recommendation for your new channel using the broadcast form. Otherwise, see step 7. |
| 7. | give your receiver key to the channel owner that has agreed to recommend your channel. This can be done via email by attaching your receiver key file. The channel owner simply needs to broadcast your receiver key file---kast will display this broadcast as a recommendation to his or her subscribers. |
| 8. | use the broadcast form in kast to send files out on your channel. Check the "private" box if you do not want receivers to be able to subscribe to your channel from the prebroadcast catcher. |
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