This is an example Nym Book which creates a nym account which terminates at alt.anonymous.messages. In this way you retrieve your encrypted messages from the newsgroup instead of by email. You need to have a basic mastery of sending anonymous messages before attempting to create a Nym Account. Please read the JBN2 Beginner's Guide available from the Help menu, and review the Nym Book section of the User's Manual before continuing. Failure to do so may jeopardize your security.
This nym account includes two reply-blocks, one which uses a mail2news gateway and one which uses a Post remailer.
To create your nym account, please follow these instructions carefully:
1) SELECT AN ACCOUNT USERNAME and nym server, and enter your desired account address on the Account tab in the Account Address field (Account|Account Address). For example: examplenym@nym.alias.net Try to select an address which is not in use. You can do this by using a unique name, or by sending a message to (or fingering) list@nym.alias.net (or whichever nym server you're using) to see which accounts are in use. [Note that by contacting list@ you are revealing the fact that you are creating a nym account, so this method is NOT recommended. It is better to select a unique name.]
If you are updating an existing account's reply-blocks, you can enter your account address and PGP key, or copy these reply-blocks to your current Nym Book (Edit|Copy Reply-Block).
2) CREATE A PGP KEY pair for your new account. PGP 2.6.x users may select Tools|Create PGP Key. When PGP asks for a key size (1, 2, or 3), type 2048 for good security. PGP 5/6 users should use PGPKeys to create their key. Note that nym servers require RSA keys up to 2048 bits. After the key has been created, press the asterisk (*) button next to Account|Account PGP Key and select the key you just created.
3) ENTER YOUR PSEUDONYM in Account|Name. Do not enter an email address, just a nickname. This will appear in the From header of your messages. For example: My Nym.
4) Decide whether you want to use reply-block 1 (mail2news gateway) or reply-block 2 (Anon-Post-To remailer method). Press the Active button in for that reply-block.
5) In the Final Headers area, change the subject header to include your desired Subject. This is the subject (visible to everybody) which will allow you to identify which messages are yours. Be sure to use a non-informative subject.
6) SELECT FILE|SAVE AS and save this Nym Book with a new name corresponding to the account name. Each account should have its own Nym Book.
7) SELECT EDIT|REPLACE PASSPHRASES. This will generate unique random passphrases and replace the passphrases in the example book. You may be asked (at the bottom of the window) to move your mouse randomly. Note that this does NOT change your Encrypt-Subject passphrase(s).
8) SELECT REMAILERS|REFRESH STATS. If you receive errors, you may need to update the URLs in Window|Stats Config|CPunk with current URLs. (See JBN2 Beginner's Guide.)
9) PRESS CREATE. The configuration request will be created. You may receive an error stating that insufficient random remailers are available. In this case you need to either use a more up-to-date stats URL, or you need to slightly reduce the minimum uptime or latency criteria in Windows|Remailers Config|Auto. Examine Window|Stats Browser to determine appropriate values.
10) WHEN YOUR REQUEST IS CREATED, a Message Book window will open. This book is used to send your creation request anonymously to the nym-server. Select several remailers and press Queue. (Leave the Nym field blank.)
11) If you are using JBN2 to retrieve your news, ENABLE A NEWS PROFILE in Window|News Profiles. Enter the NNTP server.
12) Return to the Nym Book, select your reply-block, and select Tools|Export Subject|[Your NNTP Profile]. This will add the subject and newsgroup(s) to the specfied profile.
Retrieve news regularly by selecting Tools|Get News. If all goes well, you should receive a confirmation request from the nym-server within several hours. You must reply (anonymously) to one of these to activate your reply-blocks. (From the View Mail window select Reply-Via|Default.TBK, select several remailers and press Queue. Leave the Nym field blank.) You can send more than one reply through different chains if you like. Within several hours you should receive a message stating that your account is active.
If you receive no confirmation message, then your reply-block probably contains a remailer which is not working, or a remailer combination which is troublesome. In this case, just open your Nym Book and repeat step 7 thru 10. Do this once per day until you get results. Sometimes finding a remailer combination which works can take several tries. You may also need to insure that the NNTP server you are using is making all articles available. You can retrieve from multiple servers by exporting the subject to other profiles.
IF YOU RECEIVE a message stating that your signature is bad, this indicates that the account username you selected is already in use. Select a different Account Address and try again.
FOR GREATER SECURITY: Use the esub (Encrypt-Subject) feature as demonstrated in "Esub Nym.NBK". Add more remailers and select Options|Remix Compliant. Add Latency settings to some of your remailers, or hand-pick your remailers for desired latency. Use Max-Size, Max-Count, and Max-Date directives. In your News Profile, check "Fully retrieve all articles." Please see the User's Manual for more advanced features.
