This FAQ consists of answers to several frequently asked questions on the IRC newsgroups and the DALnet IRC Network help channels. Please email questions to help@dal.net. Send revisions, comments, additions, or deletions to faq@DAL.net

 2.1 - What are Services?
 2.2 - How do I register my nickname
 2.3 - How do I register my channel?
 2.4 - Why won't services talk to me?
 2.5 - How can I tell what nicknames or channels are registered?
 2.6 - What's a SOP? What's an AOP?
 2.7 - What happened to my nickname, channel, or memo?
 2.8 - How do I use MemoServ?
 2.9 - What happens if I forget my password?
2.10 - Who are the services programmers?
2.11 - Can I get a copy of services?
2.12 - How are DALnet services different from other nets?
2.13 - There's a nick I'd like to use but it says I can't?

2.1 - What are Services?

Services is what allows a user to "own" and "control" their nickname and channel. It consists of four services for users to access, NickServ, ChanServ, MemoServ and HelpServ. - Do not be fooled by imitations.

NickServ provides nickname registration and enforcement. The owner of a registered nickname can manually kill anyone using his or her nickname or configure NickServ to do so automatically. Nickname registration is also required before you can register a channel or access MemoServ.

ChanServ provides channel registration. The person who registers a channel (known as the "founder") can control what modes are allowed on the channel, who is a channel operator, as well as set other channel parameters. ChanServ also supports a list of people to be automatically kicked or banned from the channel.

MemoServ allows people with registered nicknames to exchange memos. These are short messages that are stored for subsequent retrieval.

HelpServ provides the standard ircII help service. Note not all clients are able to access or use this information.

DALnet was the first IRC Network to use such devices as these services (excluding HelpServ) to control its enirvonment. (And actually use them so that they *worked* properly) Services allows a user to eliminate hostile channel takeovers and nick collides. Channel wars are very difficult to have as Services will overrule anyone not authorized.

There are a lot of other nets out there proclaiming to have channel and nickname registration, however these are NOT DALnet related. While some claim to be DALnet and have our code for services, these rumors are false. DALnet code is copywrited by DALnet for use on DALnet.

2.2 - How do I register my nickname?

To register your nickname - first find a nick that is not already registered by someone else. You must change to that nick in order to register.

	/nick Wolenczak

Once you have your nick selected you may type:

	/NickServ register {password}

Please do not type {password} :) Replace it with a word or pass code you can remember - WRITE DOWN YOUR NICKSERV PASSWORD.

If you run into trouble while registering /join #help - they will aide you in registering your nick step by step, or visit our NickServ pages and follow their examples.

2.3 - How do I register my channel?

First you MUST have Channel ops on the channel you wish to register. You may then type:

	/ChanServ register #{channelname} {password} {description}

{channelname} should be replaced with the name of the channel you wish to register. {password} should be replaced with the password you wish to use on the channel. {description} is a sentence which describes the channel.

If you are successfull in registering your channel, you can type:

	/ChanServ info #{channelname}

This will verify the information you gave ChanServ (excluding the password) WRITE DOWN YOUR CHANSERV PASSWORD.

If you run into trouble while registering /join #help - they will aide you in registering your channel step by step, or visit our ChanServ pages and follow their examples.

2.4 - Why won't services talk to me?

There are several reasons why services will not answer.

1) you misspelled /msg or ChanServ/NickServ/MemoServ (dont feel bad it happens a lot :))

2) If you are using mIRC, you might be looking in the wrong box for the services feedback. Goto Window and select status - this should bring forth a window for you to see services responding to you.

3) Services sometimes gets lagged. If you get frustrated, try another server.

4) Services is not there. Yes even services needs a reboot sometimes. :)

5) You are being ignored by services. Even DALnet experiences its rude and troublesome users - to save our users from getting their nick stolen or channels taken, services will ignore that individual. If it appears services is ignoring you email kline@DAL.net

6) Another possibility is that your IRC client is set to ignore the old EFnet NickServ. Type /ignore or whatever pulls up your ignore list and see if NickServ is there. Type /ignore NickServ none or /ignore NickServ -all.

7) It is also possible that you have a script or client that automatically ignores nicknames that send you messages many times in quick succession. If NickServ or ChanServ are on your ignore list and keep coming back when you remove them, this is probably your problem. Sometimes putting lines like /floodok NickServ in you .ircrc file will solve this problem.

If you experience any trouble with services responding, /join #help and they will gladly aide you to asses the problem.

2.5 - How can I tell what nicknames or channels are registered?

Services has a way of checking for already registered channels and nicknames. If you have a particular channel you wish to register and want to check, type:

 	/ChanServ info #{channelname}

Don't forget to replace {channelname} with the name of the channel you are looking for.

If you have a nickname you wish to register and want to check it's status type:

	/NickServ info {nick}

Don't forget to replace {nick} with the nickname you are searching for.

If the nick or channel already is registered, check back every couple of days using the ChanServ info or NickServ info commands. Unused nicks and channels expire after 20 days.

2.6 - What's a SOP? What's an AOP?

SOP stands for Super-OPerator. A sop is not equivalent to the channel founder but does have more priviledges than an aop. A sop can add aops to the list as well as akicks.

AOP's are Auto-OP's and have basic channel operator status. They cannot add ops to the channel list and cannot add akicks either.

NOTE: Please be careful who you choose for operator status. Do not give someone you don't trust sop access.

2.7 - What happened to my nickname, channel, or memo?

Nicknames that are not used will expire after 20 days.

Channels that are not used will expire after 20 days.

Read memos expire in four days. Unread memos expire in ten days.

2.8 - How do I use MemoServ?

For details on using MemoServ, you may access DALnet's www help at http://www.dal.net/services/memoserv/index.html.

For Online IRC Help in using MemoServ send a message with the word help like this:

	/MemoServ help

If you have any troubles while trying to access MemoServ, please visit #help for step by step information on how to use MemoServ.

2.9 - What happens if I forget my password?

First off don't panic - we have ways of retrieving your password for you. You'll want to bypass the help channels and head straight for #OperHelp and ask for a CSop there. They can retrieve your channel or NickServ password for you. Be prepared to verify who you are - this is for your protection. If you cannot prove to us you are who you say you are, we will deny access to that password. We will work with you in everyway possible to gain control of your channel/nick. It's not a hopeless cause :).

If you get to #OperHelp and do not get a response regarding your need for a CSop type:

	/motd services.*

This will list for you the CSops on DALnet.

2.10 - Who are the services programmers?

• taz
• xPsycho

2.11 - Can I get a copy of services?

No. Services is not freeware or shareware. It is a program written by the DALnet coding team specifically for DALnet. It is not something we give out.

2.12 - How are DALnet services different from other nets?

Well to start with, ours work. DALnet was the first net to use these services from the beginning. We continue today to use them upgrading and recoding, or tweaking the code as we go and will continue to use it in the future.

Unlike many other nets, services is NOT a bot. It's a code which acts like a server. It can experience netsplits the same as any other server. It does however act like a bot in many ways. You can ping ChanServ just like it were a regular bot or user. You can also message it like a bot or user.

DALnet's services are used for protection. Unlike many other nets claiming to have a similar feature, DALnet's services are unique in that they act as enforcement as well. If a user violates your nick or channel either on purpose or accident, services will send any proper actions to the user in order to act appropriately based on what you've programmed it to do when you registered your nick/channel.

2.13 - There's a nick I'd like to use but it says I can't.

Use the Info command to find out when the user was last on. Nicks do expire after 30 days of no use so keep checking back. If the nick becomes available, you may register it.