Internet Info 1994 March/Internet Info CD-ROM (Walnut Creek) (March 1994).iso/answers/alt/irc/nickserv-faq

Internet Message Format | 1994-04-17 | 11KB

Path: bloom-beacon.mit.edu!gatech!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!sunic!ugle.unit.no!trane.uninett.no!alf.uib.no!usenet
From: [e-mail] (Ove Ruben R Olsen)
Newsgroups: alt.irc,no.irc,alt.irc.questions,alt.answers,news.answers
Subject: IRC-NickServ Frequently Asked Questions (Mar 1 1994)
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Date: Tue, 18 Apr 94 01:00:02 GMT
Organization: University of Bergen, Norway
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Archive-name: irc/nickserv-faq


This message is automatically posted once a week to inform new readers
of what NickServ is about. It will also give answers to Frequently
Asked Questions about NickServ issues.
If you don't want to see this posting every week, please add the subject
line to your kill file. The Subject: indicates when this message was last
changed.

If you find any errors in this FAQ (spelling or language), please notify
the author at [e-mail]. Thanks.


Questions answered in this FAQ:

01) What is NickServ ?
02) How to correctly address NickServ ?
03) On-line help
04) Query NickServ about a nick
05) How do I register my nick ?
06) How do I change my email adress and/or info
07) How to drop a registred nick
08) Nicks will expire after 10 weeks of non-use.
09) Changing my password
10) How to identify yourself to NickServ
11) Using the same nick from several hosts
12) Listing the access list
13) Removing access list entries
14) I have forgot my password, what do I do now...
15) Reporting bugs

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A note on NickServ replies:
  ASCII based clients will see replies from NickServ as -service.de-.
  Zircon based clients will see replies from NickServ in the info window.
  Anything else may indicate a fake NickServ


01) What is NickServ ?
    NickServ (or [e-mail] as the correct name is) is a service
    where you can register your nick for your and others convenience.

    BEWARE: Registering your nick does NOT indicate that you OWN your nick.
            Nicks are not owned on IRC.
        This is an established FACT.

    Registering your nick is done to avoid confusion if someone else should
    unfortunately out of ignorance use your nick.
    Register your nick and make it a "established" one. A bot using your
    nick may or may not be killed depending on the IRC-operator you ask.
    BUT, a human using your nick will never ever be killed by a IRC-Op.
    Think of registering your nick as getting a "brith certificate" for your
    nick, with your email and your name or cute saying.


02) How to correctly address NickServ ?
    To adress NickServ, the command is:
    /msg [e-mail] <command> <parameters>
    Anything else may be a faulty NickServ, unless you get the following
    mesage:
      -service.de- NickServ has changed. For security purposes,
      -service.de- you will have to send your service queries via
      -service.de-              /msg [e-mail] <command>
      -service.de- If you use an IRC client with ALIAS capability,
      -service.de- you may simply define an appropriate command.
    A lot of silly users have faked NickServ in the past, and thus
    be able to get their hands on login-passwords. To fake NickServ
    should be very difficult these days.

    One appropriate alias for ircII (which I use myself) is:
      /alias NS /msg [e-mail] $*


03) On-line help
    You may get on-line help two ways:
      /msg [e-mail] help <command> <subcommand>
    or messaging a NickServ operator and ask him or her politely for help.
    BUT, you should read the current HELP entry first. Remember that NickServ
    operators are humans with things to do besides being a NickServ oper :-)
    Be patient.


04) Query NickServ about a nick
    Send /msg [e-mail] whois <nickname>
    You may then get a entry telling you the following info:
      - Nickname and supplied additional information
      - Email address
      - When Nickname registred, and what user and host.domain it use
      - Signon and off times
      - Status (matching user/host, Authentication info)


05) How do I register my nick ?
    The correct syntax is:
      /msg [e-mail] register <password> <email> <additional info>
    NOTE: the <password> is NOT YOUR LOGIN PASSWORD. Find a new and fresh
      password to use with nickserv. The password is there for your
      security so that no-one than you can alter or remove your nickserv
      entry.
    The password is case sensitive.
    For instance, a user nicked "gnarfer" wants to register his nickname
    he then issues the following:
      /msg [e-mail] register LSD-Rules [e-mail] Ruben Olsen
    NickServ will then reply with:
      -service.de- *** You have been registered.


06) How do I change my email adress and/or info
    First identify yourself to the NickServ with the identify command,
    then issue a register command.


07) How to drop a registred nick
    First identify yourself to NickServ with the identify command, then issue
    a /msg [e-mail] UNREG
    NickServ will then reply with
      -service.de- *** '<YourNick>' is unregistered.
    For instance if a user name "gnarfer" does unregister his nick, NickServ
    replies with
      -service.de- *** 'gnarfer' is unregistered.


08) Nicks will expire after 10 weeks of non-use.
    A nick will be removed after aproximately 10 weeks of non-use. Things
    are a bit lax during summer vacation, so your nick will usualy survive
    during this.


09) Changing my password
    You must identify yourself (if not done) before you can issue the
    passwd command, the correct syntax is:
      /msg [e-mail] passwd <newpassword>
    If everything goes OK, NickServ will reply with:
      -service.de- *** Password has been changed.
    NOTE: the <password> is NOT YOUR LOGIN PASSWORD. Find a new and fresh
          password to use with nickserv. The password is there for your
          security so that no-one than you can alter or remove your nickserv
          entry. The password is case sensitive.


10) How to identify yourself to NickServ
    The correct syntax is:
      /msg [e-mail] identify <password>
    where <password> is your NickServ password.
    NOTE: If there is a link-break (which happens from time to time), you
      must re-identify yourself to the NickServ.


11) Using the same nick from several hosts
    To be able to do this, you must add other hosts in the access list.
    To be able to alter the access list, you must first identify yourself
    (if not done). Then issue the command:
      /msg [e-mail] access add <user>@<host>.<domain>
    wildcarding is allowed.
    For instance if the user nicked "gnarfer" wants to add some of the
    other hosts he is using, he will then issue
      /msg [e-mail] access add rubenro@*.blh.no
    NickServ will the reply with:
      -service.de- *** ACCESS: Site entry 'rubenro@*.bih.no' added -
           delayed until next synch operation
      -service.de- *** NickServ register entry updated (added 1 site).


12) Listing the access list
    Syntax is
      /msg [e-mail] access list
    You must identify yourself first if you have not done this before you
    can issue an access command.


13) Removing access list entries
    Syntax is
      /msg [e-mail] access delete <number>
    where <number> is a number given in a access list
    You must identify yourself first if you have not done this before you
    can issue a access delete command.
    For instance if the user nicked "gnarfer" wants to delte the entry named
    rubenro@*.blh.no, he will first issue the access list command and
    NickServ responds with
      -> *[e-mail]* access list
      -service.de- Site entry #1: rubenro@*.bih.no
      -service.de- Site entry #2: rubenro@*.blh.no
      -service.de- *** ACCESS DELETE <number> to delete a site entry.
    He then does the
      /msg [e-mail] delete 2
    and NickServ responds with
      -service.de- *** ACCESS: Site entry 2 deleted.


14) I have forgot my password, what do I do now...
    This is a frequent problem; the solution is as follows:

    1) Logon to IRC with the matching NickServ host and user entry. That is
       the host and user you registred your nicks by. NickServ operators
       issuing a whois command to the NickServ should then see:
     -service.de- * Status: Matching host entries
       If this message does not appear, the NickServ operator may refuse
       to change your NickServ password.
    2) type
     /msg [e-mail] operwho
       You will then get a list of NickServ operators, send one of the nicks
       that has a asterix ('*') in front of their nick a message politely
       asking if they can set a new password for you.
       Remember that NickServ operators are humans with things to do beside
       beeing a NickServ oper :-), please be patient.
    3) Remember to change your passwd again. REMEMBER to change it to
       something that is not your login password.
       This is done with /msg [e-mail] passwd <newpasswd>

   Sending mail to the NickServ email adress, or to me, will only get you
   the above as an answer ;-)
   You can't ask what your current password is since it is not possible to
   "see" a NickServ password. They are all encrypted in the database.


15) Reporting bugs
    To report a NickServ bug, either do it ON-line with the BUG command,
    or send a mail to [e-mail] with Subject: NickServ.
    On-line bug reporting is done with /msg [e-mail] BUG <bug
    report>.
    If you want to report a bug by email, issue a
      /msg [e-mail] help bug
    to get the current version and compile, please include this in your
    email. When mailing, rember to include as much information as possible
    on the problem as you see or experience it.
    Forgeting your NickServ password is NOT a bug ;-), nor a email issue.
    If you email NickServ about forgotten passwords, you will surely get
    a reply with the answer of question 14 :-)


If you have futher problems with NickServ or question that are not covered
in this FAQ, you are welcome to email to [e-mail].
Your mail will then be forwarded to the right authorities on NickServ.
You may also speak with "ruben" on line (or any other NickServ operator).
Unfortunately I will definitely NOT be answering any questions after
11.00 PM GMT ;-), so if you don't get a respone from me, stay cool. You
may also issue a /whois ruben ruben (yes ruben twice) to see my idle time
and my correctly set away msg (please respect this).

\Ruben.

--
<sig>Ove Ruben "Gnarfer" R Olsen a VI user. IRCNO Secretary. Preferred email:
[e-mail]. Maintaining the root EX/VI-archive. FAQing comp.editors,
alt.irc and no.irc</sig>