General
What services do you offer?
At ChatLounge, we have the big three, which are NickServ (Nickname Registration Services), ChanServ (Channel Registration Services), and MemoServ (Memo Service).
In addition, we have ALIS (Channel Listing Service), an alternative to using the /list command.
We also have Hel and Narfi, two anti-spam bots that may idle in channels until flooding is detected and a /kill (network disconnection) or k-line is applied.
Why don't you have HostServ/GameServ/channel statistics/something else? Many other networks have them.
While that may very well be the case at other networks, we are not other networks. The general belief we have is that only core services, or those required to maintain order need to be offered. Everything else is "extra," and should be left up to the users themselves, with bots they own and operate. The resources used to run services do not need to be used for these purposes that can be served with a traditional IRC bot.
But the network runs official network sponsored games!
While that is true, those games are not run on the same resources as services. For all intents and purposes they should be considered private game bots that happen to be owned and operated by the network founder/owner.
Why don't you have hostmasking?
Often when someone asks this question, it's out of concern for privacy and security. Both points will be addressed.
The worry about privacy is generally centered around someone else performing an IP lookup and identify your physical location. This concern is unfounded, as geographic IP lookups are notoriously inaccurate. When an IP lookup is performed, at best you might learn the city and ISP. In mid-size to large cities, this tells very little. In rural areas and sometimes suburbs, a geographic IP lookup might even return a city many miles away.
The secondary concern is about security, whether from hacking attempts or even DDOS. The theory is if the IP is hidden, this isn't possible. However, it's very easy to obtain IPs hidden behind a hostmask, including some methods we have no control over. Some methods will even work on every IRC network, or even any online communications platform. Anyone who claims otherwise is misinformed.
Hostmasking also has the potential to make it far easier to circumvent channel bans. We are of the opinion that taking this control out of the channel owner and/or his delegates is undesirable. Finally, custom hostmasking places an undue burden upon the IRC Operators, particularly in light of the numerous additional TLDs that are coming out every month.
I don't care about any of that! I want a custom hostname anyway!
It's still possible. However, you will have use Reverse DNS/PTR records on an IP address you control. The forward record must match the reverse record. How to achieve this is outside the scope of this document.
What purpose do the bots H and N serve?
They are anti-spam and anti-flood bots. When joined to a channel, they may not be kicked, or banned. Even if the channel is set to op-only moderated (only channel operators may see messages that would otherwise be blocked), the bots can see such messages regardless of channel operator status.
How do H and N work?
They match against a list of text patterns to look for likely spam messages, and watch out for other potential spam-bot behaviors, such as AMSG/AME to a large number of channels all at once or within a very short period of time.
The text matching patterns are not available to the public, but great care is taken to avoid false positives, and so far, the false positive rate has been extremely low. In the years of running these bots, there has only been one instance of a false positive which was very quickly addressed.
How do I request H or N for my channel?
Join #help and make your case there. If the request is reasonable, it will likely be honored. Alternatively, network staff may choose to join it to your channel if they believe your channel is at high risk of flooding. Network staff may remove it if it's perceived the bot is no longer necessary, or if the channel gets dropped.
NickServ related Questions
How do I register my nick, so no one else can use it?
First, log in to one of our servers, using your favorite client. Then type the following command:
/msg NickServ register Password email@somesite.tld
Please keep your password secure. You, and only you are responsible for the security of your password. The staff of the ChatLounge IRC Network will never ask you for your password. There is no valid reason for it.
Since e-mail verification is required, a valid e-mail address must be supplied. By default, new NickServ accounts are created with the HIDEMAIL option turned on, so other users will not know your e-mail address.
It's strongly recommended you chose an e-mail address that is very unlikely to change, since it's key in the event you need to recover your password.
I lost my password! Help me please?!
In the event you lose your password, you can issue the following command:
/msg NickServ SENDPASS YourNick
Then follow the instructions to set a new password.
Please do not ask IRC Operators to change your password for you. In many cases, it's not possible to determine the person making the request is indeed the person the nick belongs to.
I'm tired of my current nick. How can I switch to using another one?
NickServ supports the concept of accounts, and nick grouping, which mean one account may have more than one nick. Information such as memos, channel access lists, and so on are associated with the account. Therefore, any nick associated with the account has the same access, and requires the account password in order to obtain access.
To add another nick to your account, follow these steps:
- Identify (or login) to your NickServ account.
- Type
/nick NewNickYouWantHere - If that nick is not taken, you may claim it with the
/msg NickServ groupcommand.
Optionally, if you want to change your account name, which is also your primary nick, you may issue the following command:
/msg NickServ set accountname NewNick
For this command to work, you need to have already grouped the new nickname with the previous step-by-step process.
Do you support SASL?
Yes. The PLAIN and EXTERNAL (SASL with SSL certificate) mechanisms are supported.
Do you support CERT (Identification via SSL Certificate)?
Yes. You may add SSL fingerprints to your account with the NickServ CERT command.
When do nicknames and accounts expire from non-usage?
366 consecutive days, or 1 year. As a result of this, there is no vacation option, where an extended expiry time may be requested.
ChanServ related Questions
ChanServ doesn't ask me for a channel password when I register.
On this network, it's unnecessary. Founder access is controlled through the NickServ account that is listed as the founder of the channel.
Therefore, do not lose your NickServ password, keep it secure, and don't give it out for any reason.
I want to add another Founder to the channel. How can I do this?
On this network, there is no ability for a channel to have multiple founders. Experience has shown that multiple individuals with founder access eventually leads to problems in most cases. Multiple founders may be requested on a case by case basis, but is unlikely to be granted.
You can, however, add a channel manager, who has almost all the same powers as the founder (except the ability to remove the founder or add/remove other managers), with the following command:
/msg ChanServ flags #channel NickHere Manager
If you want to transfer foundership of a channel to another individual, you can use the following command:
/msg ChanServ set founder NewNickHere
The transfer will then be complete when the other person issues the same command.
Note: The process is irreversible, unless that person chooses to transfer foundership back to you. Therefore, think very carefully before you run this command.
How do I add or remove others as Op?
The easiest way is to use templates. First, execute this command to get a list of templates:
/msg ChanServ template
Most individuals would want to add AOPs and SOPs. Adding Managers should usually be avoided, since such individuals can do almost everything the Founder can, including adding or removing SOPs, changing the channel mode-lock, and other channel settings. In addition to everything AOPs can do, SOPs can add or remove AKICKs, auto-voice via ChanServ, and AOPs.
To add someone as an AOP, execute the following command:
/msg ChanServ flags #channel NickToAddHere AOP
/msg ChanServ flags #channel NickToRemoveHere -*
What is Auto-kick/AKICK ? How is it different from a channel ban?
From the banned users' point of view, there is little to no difference. From a channel management point of view, it's in essence a higher "level" of ban, removable only by SOPs, Managers, or the Founder, or any Op with the ChanServ +f flag.
By default, if an AKICK entry is added, it's permanent. However, timed AKICKs that will expire can be added. Provided you have the appropriate permissions, the command to do so is:
/msg ChanServ akick #channel NickToAutoKick !T minutes
How many Ops/AKICK/access list entries is a channel allowed to have?
Currently, the maximum for all entries is 500. This includes the founder, who can't be removed. There are no specific limits for different entry types.
When do channels expire from continuous non-usage?
60 days.
Miscellaneous
How do I tell who is really an IRC Operator?
First, you perform a /whois lookup on someone, with the following command: /whois SomeNick
If, for example, you type in /whois Ben, you may get output similar to the following:
Ben is Ben@bensplace.info
Ben is «Ben - Network Founder»
Ben on chi.chatlounge.net «ChatLounge Client Server - Chicago, IL»
Ben is a Network Administrator
Ben is using a secure connection [ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384]; Ben is logged in as
Ben on ~#uno, ~#trivia, #social, ~#help
Please note the bold text in the output. A real IRC Operator will always have an additional line of output, with one of two values in place of the bold text.
Valid values are Network Administrator, Server Administrator, and IRC Operator.