PChannel Desktop is in alpha. For controlled evaluation.Release information
PChannel.
GETTING STARTED / WINDOWS ALPHA

One Topic.
Two Participants.

—That's the starting point. From there, your collaboration grows. Follow the path from registration to your first exchange.

  • Activation establishes your installed PChannel application's (your node's) connection to the Relay.
  • Once activated, create a Channel to to invite others, or open an invitation from someone else.
  • If inviting someone to your channel, send the invitation file and share its passphrase separately. The recipient opens the invitation and selects Verify Invitation after entering the passphrase; the apps authenticate and complete enrollment automatically.
  • You now have an audience (the Channel members - initially you and your invitee).
  • Any number of nodes may be enrolled in a Channel by invitation, and all enrolled nodes see the same Messages and Replies. It is like an email sent to multiple To: addresses.
  • There is no notion of "CC" or "BCC". Everyone sees all.
  • A reply to a message never goes anywhere else. It stays in context with the conversation.
  • Each node updates itself by querying the Relay for incoming messages.
  • Messages are stored on each node, not on a central server.
GETTING STARTED / TOGETHER

Putting PChannel to work for You

Try the free Windows alpha with a colleague, customer, or supplier. Choose a non-sensitive project topic. PChannel Alpha does not provide end-to-end content encryption and is not suitable for CUI. Encryption will be available in the Production Ver. 1.0.

Each participant needs an activated installation. Activation authorizes the installation to use the Relay; it does not grant Channel membership.

Start here: Activating PChannel Desktop

  1. Register your name, company, and email address. We will send you a confirmation email. This confirms that you are the owner of the email address associated with your account at pchannel.cc. Open the confirmation email to explicitly confirm your request.
  2. Use the emailed download link, install PChannel Desktop. On the first application launch, you will be prompted to enter your Organization and Author name. Enter your activation code when prompted. This will complete your product activation.

Choose your path

After installation and activation, there are two ways to begin:

Create a Channel, and invite others to enroll.

— or —

Receive a Channel Invitation from another, and enroll.

Creating a Channel

  1. Navigate to “Channels” and click Create Channel, then generate an invitation. In Invitation Passphrase, accept the generated passphrase, edit it, or enter your own. This is the secret passphrase that your invitee will enter to authenticate his identity when answering your invitation. Make sure to record it! Use Copy Passphrase to paste it to a scratch pad (or write it down). You will need it later.
  2. Select Generate Invitation and save the invitation file to a temporary location on your computer.
  3. Send the invitation file to your invitee. Share the passphrase separately—for example, by phone or through another messaging service. Keep a copy until they have enrolled.

    Your invitee must install and activate PChannel Desktop before opening your Channel Invitation.

  4. Have them register, install, and activate if needed.
  5. Have the recipient open the invitation and enter the passphrase as described below. The apps authenticate the invitation and complete enrollment automatically. Wait for Channel Enrollment Complete on both installations.
  6. Create a Topic for your question, send a Message, and have the other participant reply. Return to that Topic later to review the exchange.

Enrolling in a Channel by Invitation

  1. Ask the inviter for an invitation file and the separately shared passphrase. If you do not have an activated installation, then register, confirm your email, download, install, and activate as above.
  2. Navigate to “Channels” and click Open Invitation. Select the Channel Invitation file you received from the inviter.
  3. When prompted, enter the case-sensitive passphrase (separately shared by the inviter) and select Verify Invitation.
  4. The apps authenticate and complete enrollment automatically. This process isn’t instantaneous, and may take several minutes to complete. Once Channel Enrollment Complete appears, the Channel’s Topics and Messages will synchronize and appear in the user interface. Synchronization may take several minutes.

Invitation authentication and progress

The apps use SPAKE2 to authenticate using the separately shared passphrase. No manual inviter approval is needed after successful authentication. This authenticates the invitation exchange; it does not provide end-to-end encryption of Message content.

If the other installation is offline, verification stays pending. You can continue using PChannel while it comes online. Enrollment is complete when the app shows Channel Enrollment Complete; entering the passphrase alone does not mean you have joined.

If verification fails, check the case-sensitive passphrase with the inviter and use Enter Passphrase Again. If the invitation has expired or can no longer be used, ask the inviter for a new invitation and its separately shared passphrase.

Some alpha setup and readiness steps may require operator assistance. If enrollment or synchronization stalls, contact support with your build and the step that failed. Do not share activation codes, credentials, keys, or confidential correspondence.