Frequently asked questions

I'd like to remain connected to IRC at all times. Is there a time when you do server maintenance?

Yes. Server maintenance will usually be done in the early hours of the morning when there is the least activity. Outages for reboots are brief and only one server will be offline at a time. Simply set up your script to hunt for the next available server if you get cut off - easy! For the uptime fanatics - sorry but security will always take precedence over a good uptime, for obvious reasons.

What software to you guys run and what servers do you use?

Because the network involves more than one owner, there is a multitude of software, operating systems and security technologies used here. We won't waste time stating the obvious and won't discuss security methods or what they cover. It's simply not important for everyone to know these things.

I'd like to link to you! I like the way you guys run your network.

Welcome and feel free to join us, however we are not currently interested in linking to anyone or accepting links from others. If you are keen to link your server to a network, try one of the large networks, they are always looking for quality infrastructure and competant admins to go with it.

What are my chances of getting an o:line?

Not good if you ever plan on putting that question. Wait... but don't wait in anticipation. o:lines are not given out like boxes of brekky cereal, though it is quite common for some new opers to treat their o:line like it came out of a box of brekky cereal. Some people shouldn't have o:lines just the same as some people shouldn't have a driver's licence. It just happens that we are a bit more discerning than the Department of Motor Transport. If you are a competant IRC user and we ever need extra opers, you MAY get looked at but there are no guarantees.

Can I open a room to run a filesharing community?

No. It is against the law to share files that you do not own the copyright to. Since we cannot verify whether files are owned by the person trying to share them, we simply disallow all. If you want to share files that you own, please distribute them from your website or FTP server and simply offer your users the URLs to the same. FTP is a far more robust protocol than DCC anyway.

Can I open and run a chatroom called "#"?

We are very flexible with room names and we do not have a specific naming convention for rooms. Please do not open a room with a name that pertains to something that is against the law, we'd have to then ask you to consider a new name. Apart from that you can call your room whatever you like.

Is there a limit on chatroom or nickname registrations?

There is no hard limit on the number of rooms or names you can register. Please be sensible about it though. Register what you need and allow others a chance to get some of the good names too. Using scripts to mass-register names and/or rooms is a bad thing and it will incur the wrath of server staff. In short, use some common sense and you will be fine.

Can I swear in my room or a room where the founder/hosts want to allow it?

Personally I think that swearing is a sign of a lack of communications skills but to a point everyone does it. If those that are around you don't mind then we don't have a problem with it. It's upto room founders as to what content they want to allow in their rooms. Please respect this. If you find yourself restricted by this, you are free to open your own room and say what you like. It's a free world, so enjoy the privilege. Please note that this network does not filter out swearing or foul language and has no plans to incorporate such a function.

Are you aligned with or affiliated with any ISPs?

No, and we don't have any plans to. This network runs on donated equipment and bandwidth and such donations are made by private individuals, not corporate entities. This network is here for the people that use it, not for money-hungry corporations to line their pockets with your 'hard-earned'.

Masking IP addresses on a small network sucks, so why do it?

It is our belief that people have the right to remain anonymous on the Internet if they so wish. If you are connected to this (or any) IRC network for legitimate reasons then there is no need for people to know the connection details of others. Put aside your curiosity and as the Sydney Morning Herald says... "Start a conversation".