This document tries to explain some facts about how servers operate, explains handy IRC Operator commands (and non-oper commands which are still useful), tries to explain how to use commands like /SQUIT and /CONNECT, and details the workins of services, mostly OperServ

This document is NOT concerned with the ethical side of being an IRC Operator, ie. when usage of +M (Mode Override) is acceptable, when to DROP and GETPASS nicks or channels, when a /KILL is justified, or anything else. There should be other documents available to explain that, and I won't volunteer writing those myself :-)

Server operation - a list of commands

• /CLOSE
  The CLOSE command forces the server to close all unknown connections. Unknown connections are connections on which it is still not known wether the person connecting is an user, or a server. This will not disconnect anyone from IRC who is already connected.
  I haven't seen any useful use of this command yet, but you might want to try as a last resort (aside from a /RESTART) if the server seems to act weirdly and refusing to accept connections, or /LUSERS shows an usually high number of unknown connections.
  Many clients have reassigned /CLOSE to an internal function, so to send this command to the server, use /QUOTE CLOSE
  This command unfortunately can't be used to close half-open connections caused by a SYNflood
• /CONNECT <new server> <port> <start server>
  Forces a server to connect to another server. If you use CONNECT with one or two parameters, this will force your server to connect to the other server. If you give a third parameter, this will send the connect command to that server (remote connecting).
  See server linking for more information,
  
• /DIE
  The /DIE command terminates the server completely. All open connections are closed, everyone is disconnected. A server will NOT come back up by itself after a /DIE (unless the server admin is using a script that checks if the ircd is alive, and reboots it if it isn't). /DIE should only be used in cases where the server is better off not running, like clients being randomly disconnected, or the server going crazy and disrupting the rest of the network. Try to inform everyone on your server, and all IRC operators, that your server will be terminated, before using /DIE
  Server admins may choose not to enable /DIE.
  
• /GLOBOPS <message>
  This will send a message to all online IRC Operators, and former-operators, who set mode -o, but still have +g enabled. (off-duty? :-) ) Normal users can not see messages sent via /GLOBOPS. Some clients might not get this command right, so if words are missing, or other strange things happen, use an alias.
  ircII:

  alias globops globops :$-

  
  mIRC:

  alias globops globops : $+ *1

  
  
• /KILL <nick> <mode>
  Sends a KILL message to a user, which will cause the user to be disconnected from IRC. At times, you will see a message like KILL changed from ... to ..., this means that the user has changed nicks, and the servers have changed the nick to kill accordingly. (This makes sure users can't escape kills by changing nicks quickly)
  
• /KLINE <mask> <reason>
  Sets a temporary K-line, on your server only. A K-line will make it impossible for the user to connect to your server - when he tries so, it will see the message K-Lined, and the reason.
  You can't kline by nick!user@host, only by user@host. Don't try to use !s in /KLINE masks.
  Please note that most clients don't handle this command correctly - reasons longer than one word are cut off. Unless you have an alias to correct for this, use KLINE like this:

   /QUOTE KLINE <mask> :<reason>

  Don't forget the `:', otherwise the kline comment will still be cut off.
  Suggested aliases for popular irc clients are:
  ircII:<\B>

  alias kline quote kline $1 :$2-

  
  mIRC:<\B>

  alias kline quote kline $$1 : $+ *2

  
  
• /MAP
  Shows a map of the network, the number of users per server, and the percentage each server has of the global. (I know the percentages don't add up to 100%, no need to keep mentioning that to me :) )
  
• /MODE <nick> <mode>
  MODE offers some extra options after you have used the /OPER command. Most modes, except +n, +i, and +m, will automatically be set by the server as soon as you use the /OPER command
  Remember that you can get a list of available modes via

  /mode ?

  so there's no need to memorize everything.
  
  • +/-c
    This mode controls the seeing of "Client connecting", "Client exiting" messages. If they annoy you, turn them off.
  • +/-d
    When you enable the deaf mode, you won't receive any messages sent to a channel. Useful for bots, but not likely for much else.
  • +/-g
    This option controls whether you will see GLOBOPS messages. GLOBOPS are sent by other IRC Operators, or by services.
  • +/-h
    Enables the seeing of HELP requests, and adds the line "looks very helpful" to your /whois information. Hardly anyone uses help requests, so this mode is not too useful. More of a vanity mode :-)
  • +/-i
    Invisibility. This one will make you invisible from /who and /names, except if the person doing the /who or /names is on the same channel as you are. You're not really invisible, any user that cares to read the available documentation, knows that +i IRC Operators can be found using /trace ;-)
  • +/-k
    Kill messages. If you enable this, you will see KILLs sent out by services, servers, or other IRC operators
  • +/-l
    Linking information. Enabling this option sends you information about network splits, connections, and all other stuff concerning network linking. It's highly recommended that you keep this one on.
  • +/-m
    Mode override. Intended to be used on channels where mode wars make it very hard to use services' mode commands, or when services are unusable. This mode also blocks KICKs. Try to use other methods whereever possible, and when using +m, disable it as soon as possible. Be aware that all online operators are informed about usage of this mode!
  • +/-n
    No invite. Noone will be able to /invite you, except if they try to /invite you to a +ci channel, on which you knocked first
  • +/-o
    Operator status. If you want to be off-duty, not use operator commands, or anything, then set mode -o to disable operator commands. Please note that if you have disabled +o, but didn't disable +g, you can still read and use GLOBOPS
  • +/-s
    Server notices. Makes the server send status messages to you, and report errors. Highly recommended to keep this enabled.
  • +/-u
    Usage of mode override. When this mode is enabled, you will receive notification if any operator uses the +m mode.
  • +/-w
    Wallops. When enabled, you'll see all /WALLOPS messages.
  
  
• /MSG mask message
  The /msg (and /notice) command have some extra options, which allow you to send notices to a large group of users. Use a destination starting with a # if you want to send the message to all people with a certain hostmask, and start with $ if you want to send the message to people on a certain server, or servers.
  Examples:

  /msg #*.nl Please use ufo.xnet.org for less lagged chats

  Will send the specified message to all people with a hostname ending in .no

  /msg $fron*.org Frontline will terminate in a few seconds, for ircd upgrade

  Sends the message to everyone on frontline. (you *have* to specify .org at the end in this case!)

  /msg $*.au.xnet.org There's a new australian server, chariot.au.xnet.org

  Sends the message to all people on australian servers

  /msg #* Services will go down for upgrade, apologies for downtime

  Sends the message to everyone /notice can be used in just the same way as /msg. The practical differences are, that most Windows clients tend to hide notices a bit (place them in the status window), while messages usually open up a window, or appear in their message window, and generally is better at attracting their attention.
  Considering that, use /msg for more important notices. And remember that stupid bots often start replying to you if you do global messages (though most ignore /notice)
  
• /OPER <name> <password>
  Gives operator privileges, and enables a lot of modes.
  
• /REHASH
  This forces the server to reload the configuration files. This is useful if you have made changes to ircd.conf (if you have access to it) or when you need the internal AKILL list cleared (it happens at times that an expired AKILL isn't removed from your server, so you can /REHASH to also clear your servers memory). Note that /REHASH removes AKILLs from the memory of your server, but if they're still in OperServ's memory, OperServ will readd the akill if a user matching it comes online.
  
• /RESTART
  This restarts the server. The server will close all open connections, disconnect everyone (all servers and clients, including you!), and try to restart. Inform all online operators before issuing this command, as rerouting might be necessary, especially if you're a hub. /RESTART should only be used as a last resort, if all else fails. Do not use a /RESTART lightly.
  Note that servers may disable /RESTART completely, and that it can happen (memory errors, or CPATH incorrectly set up by the server admin at compilation) that the server will NOT come back to live. (and someone has to restart the server manually, by using the "ircd" command on the machine the server is running on).
  Most likely, you will never have to use /RESTART.
  
• /RPING <server> <start server>
  (still needs to be written)
  
• /UNKLINE <mask>
  Removes a temporary K-line which was originally set /KLINE. /UNKLINE does not remove AKILLs, or permanent K-lines set by the server admin (in ircd.conf)
  Suggested aliases for popular irc clients are:
  ircII & mIRC:<\B>

  alias unkline quote unkline $1

  
  
• /STATS <stats> <server>
  (still needs to be written)
  
• /SQUIT <server> <reason>
  Breaks a link between server. This will break the link between two servers, and send out a WALLOPS with the reason you've specified. Wildcards are accepted, so /SQUIT fro* would disconnect frontline.us.xnet.org. But make sure that the wildcards you use only matches one possible server.
  See server linking for more information.
  
• /TRACE <nick/server> <start server>
  (still needs to be written)
  
• /WALLOPS <message>
  This sends a message to all people with mode +w enabled. Keep in mind that non-operators can read these messages too!
  
• /WHO
  (still needs to be written)
  
• /WHOWAS <nick>
  Whowas is similair to /WHOIS, but is used to look in the nickname history. If someone changes nicks, or leaves irc, the old nick is stored in the database.
  This makes /WHOWAS very effective to track down people who try to hide by changing nicks. First do a /WHOWAS on the old nick. This will give you the hostname of the user, and you can then use this hostname in a /WHO request.
  (eg, if /WHOWAS told you the user was [email protected], you could use /WHO #grngn1-p15* to find the new nickname of the user)
  
• /VERSION <server>
  This command requests version information from a server, or your current server if you don't specify information. You can use /VERSION if you think servers are behaving weirdly, and think it might be caused by incompatible versions, or if you want to know the compilation options of the server.
  Behind the version response, you'll see a string like AcDefFghIj. Every character corresponds to a server compile-time option, and you can use this information to gather a bit more information about server compilation.
  • A SENDQ_ALWAYS
    SENDQ_ALWAYS increases server efficiency, but also tends to cause Dead Socket errors earlier with /who responses. (But this problem has already been fixed in a different way, so all servers now use SENDQ_ALWAYS without problems)
  • c CHROOTDIR
    CHROOTDIR only has to do with local security on the server's system, and nothing with IRC itself.
    
  • C CMDLINE_CONFIG
    Another option that increases security, but has no effect on IRC.
    
  • D DEBUGMODE
    Indicates that the server has been compiled in debugging mode. If you see this mode enabled, then that's a likely explanation for the high system loads or slow server response :)
    
  • e LOCOP_REHASH
    Controls wether local operators (little-O lines) are allowed to use /REHASH
    
  • E OPER_REHASH
    Controls wether operators (big-O lines) aer allowed to /REHASH
    
  • F INVITE_DELAY
    Tells wether the server has invite-flood protection enabled. Note: due to a small type error, the 1.5.x servers will never show a F in the /VERSION info - even if invite-flood protection has been enabled
  • H HUB
    Servers compiled with the HUB option are able to connect more than one server at a time, servers without the HUB option are not. See server linking for more information.
  • I NO_DEFAULT_INVISIBLE
    People connecting to the server, won't have mode +i enabled by the server (though they can still enable it theirself, and on) servers who do set +i by default, users can turn it off again.)
    
  • i IGNORE_CASE_FIRST_CHAR
    The case of the first character will be ignored, when checking for invalid or mixed-cased userids.
    
  • k LOCAL_KILL_ONLY
    Operators and local operators on the server are only allowed to kill people on their own servers, and not on remote servers. If this option is enabled, it affects BOTH local and global operators.
    
  • K OPER_KILL
    Operators (big O-lines) on this server can kill users on any server. Local operators (little O-lines) still can only kill local users
    
  • m M4_PREPROC
    This server uses a M4 preprocessor on the ircd.conf. This does not affect IRC itself.
    
  • M IDLE_FROM_MSG
    The idle time of a user is only reset when he does a /MSG. If this option is not enabled, then every command, except PING and PONG, will cause the idle time to be reset.
    
  • p CRYPT_OPER_PASSWORD
    Indicates that the O-line passwords in ircd.conf are encrypted. This option does not affect IRC.
    
  • P CRYPT_LINK_PASSWORD
    Indicates that the N-line passwords in ircd.conf are encrypted. This option does not affect IRC.
    
  • N NICK_DELAY
    This server has nick-flood protection. This normally means, that only 2 nick changes per 30 seconds allowed.
    
  • n NOSPOOF
    The server has IP spoofing protection (the PING/PONG you see when connecting)
    
  • r LOCOP_RESTART
    Indicates that local operators (little-O lines) are allowed to issue the /RESTART command
    
  • R OPER_RESTART
    Indicates that operators (big-O lines) are allowed to issue the /RESTART command
    
  • T KPATH
    K-lines set via /KLINE and /UNKLINE are recorded in a local file, so they'll survive a /REHASH
  • t OPER_REMOTE
    Indicates that operators can also send commands to other servers. All servers should have this defined, or they will be incompatible.
    
  • U DISALLOW_MIXED_CASE
    Disallows clients to use mixed-case, or illegal characters in their userid.
    
  • u IRCII_KLUDGE
    Compiles in some extra code for backwards compatibility with older ircII clients.
    
  • Y USE_SYSLOG
    Indicates that the server logs errors to the system logfiles. Does not affect IRC.
    
  • /UPING <server> <port> <start server> <pings>
    This command sends out a serie of PINGs to a server (using methods similair to the unix "ping" command). If you only specify a server name (wildcards ok), it will send out 5 pings to that server, and report the number of successful pings, and ping times, to you.
    If you want to ping from a remote server, you have to specify a server, a port (always use port 7007), and a server to start the pinging from. You can, as a fourth parameter, specify the number of pings, although you can never have the server send out more than 20 pings with a single UPING.
    UPING should be used if a server link seems to be slow, and you want to see if there's a better link available - you would UPING all possible links for that server, and see if any link is faster.
    Note that servers will only UPING servers to which they can actually connect. If you try to have a server UPING another server to which it can't connect, you'll receive an error message complaining about the server not listed in the configuration file.
    See server linking for more information.
    

   

  Security considerations
  • Keep your password secure
    Although obvious, this can not be emphasized enough. Many people don't realize that things like running scripts can expose them to risks. Even a simple, and a regularly used mIRC event like

    1:ON TEXT:!nick:*:/dcc send C:\mirc\wavs\ $+ $1

    is known to make all files on your C: drive accessible - including your mirc.ini files, which usually contains your /oper and nick password!
    It is very wise to not run any script, but if you really have to, be very, very careful. In mIRC, usually /dcc send events, and events that allow users to execute any command remotely, is dangerous. All other clients have similair risks - running no script is usually the safest of all.
    On a multiuser UNIX system, keep your .ircrc secure, if that is where you store your password. The command

    chmod 600 .ircrc

    should keep this file safe, but there's still the problem of running an insecure copy of ircii itself, a root which can't be trusted, hackers, etc...
    And of course, packet sniffers that read all data, can pick up passwords. You can't protect against every possible password steal attempt, but do whatever you can.
    
  • Restrict the O-line
    Your server admin has the option to limit the hosts at which /OPER can be used. Have the admin limit it to as few hosts as possible. If you're on a static IP, only add that single host.
    
  • Don't use the same password twice
    Never, ever, use an important password at multiple places. O-lines have been hacked before, by ignorant users using the same password they used for /oper, as an access password on a bot run by someone else...
    Also, if you have a backup O-line on a second server, then be sure to use a different password on that server.
    
  • Use different NickServ and /OPER passwords.
    Most services commands also require NickServ authentication, so making the NickServ password different is a bit more secure. Also, be sure to

    /msg NickServ SET OPER ON

    , which will protect your nick from expiring, so it can't be re-registered (or used by someone impersonating you)
    
  • Other nickserv options
    Unless you are on a static IP, enable secure. (If you are on a static IP, then do update the access list - usually NickServ chooses a mask like user@*.isp.com, change that to [email protected] - the exact hostname used. It's probably best to enable SECURE even if you are on a static IP)
    
  • Vacation
    If you won't be on IRC for a while, notify other operators, so they know you're gone, and will get suspicious if someone will try to impersonate you while you are gone. Even better is asking your server admin to disable your O-line while you are gone.
    
  Many of the recommendations and risks outlined here may seem to be a bit far-fetched, but please, take any security measures possible. One single oper password hack can cause enormous amount of damage to the network.