OS/2 Shareware BBS: 35 Internet/35-Internet.zip/dance414.zip/FAQ

Text File | 1999-01-20 | 17KB | 460 lines

Frequently Asked Questions about the Dancer bot - 17th of June 1998.

Table of contents

  1.  In general
  1.1  Is Dancer based on <insert-name-of-another-bot-here>?
  1.2  Why should I choose Dancer in preference to other bots?
  1.3  What machine/OS does it need.
  1.4  How do I report bugs?
  1.5  How do I contribute?
  1.6  How do I apply patches?

  2.  Running
  2.1  How do I run it?
  2.1.1  How do I compile it?
  2.1.1.1 Problems when compiling
  2.1.1.2 Fpl not found
  2.1.2  Which files do I have to edit?
  2.1.3  How do I start it?
  2.2  Do I have to use the launch script?
  2.3  It doesn't start.
  2.3.1  The logfile contains a DEBUG statement.
  2.3.2  The logfile contains an ERROR statement.
  2.4  It doesn't recognize me.
  2.5  My friend forgot his password. Can I find it somewhere?
  2.6  I cannot dcc chat with it.
  2.7  It crashes in mysterious ways.
  2.8  How do I upgrade smoothly?
  2.9  How do I make it register with Undernet X/W channel service?
  2.10 How do I bind a dancer to a vhost?
  2.11 How do I enable longer than 9 letter nicks?

  3.  Commands
  3.1  It doesn't answer me if I talk to it from outside the channel.
  3.2  How do I use <insert-arbitrary-command-here>?
  3.3  Can I issue commands in public?
  3.4  Can I redirect the output of a command to someone else?
  3.5  Can I add my own commands?
  3.6  Invite?

  4.  Fpl
  4.1  What is fpl?

  5.  Files
  5.1  Where can I get the latest version of Dancer?
  5.2  Where can I find the fpl library?
  5.3  Where can I find <external-program-being-used>?


===================================================================

1.  In general

1.1  Is Dancer based on <insert-name-of-another-bot-here>?

  No, Dancer was started entirely from scratch. It basically started out as
  TCP programming experience. Many of the commands were inspired by the Mama
  bot made by pjotr (sourcecode wasn't available, probably still isn't.)

1.2  Why should I choose Dancer in preference to other bots?

  It contains many useful services to its users. You may have a more thorough
  look at the commands SEEN, TELL, EXPLAIN, EXCHANGE, COUNTRY, CONVERT, TZ,
  and TOP. Provided some external programs are present at your site, you can
  also have online spell checker (SPELL), webster lookup (WEBSTER), DNS lookup
  (HOST), email verification (VRFY), and more.

  It is very configurable, either by the fixed settings in the dancer.config
  file, or by the on-line SETtings, or by using the 99% C-alike fpl scripts.

  It fights clonebots attack very well - it has already handled numerous
  attacks by up to 20 clonebots from 4 different sites. Much effort has gone
  into making efficient clonebot defences, while at the same time minimizing
  unfortunate effects on the innocent user.

  Future support is almost guaranteed - being a free product no absolute
  guarantees are given, but because the development team consists of more than
  one person it is unlikely to be discarded because one person drops out.

1.3  What machine/OS does it need.

  Dancer is for Unix. It is being developed on SunOS and Solaris.  It also has
  compiled and run from Linux, NetBSD, IRIX, FreeBSD, HPUX, and Ultrix.
  Furthermore, it works on Amiga.

1.4  How do I report bugs?

  Send a very detailed report to the mailing list (include OS and bot
  version). It gives any experienced user the opportunity to help and share
  wisdom. Bug reports and requests for help in private emails are not as good.

1.5  How do I contribute?

  Dancer is an open-source project, which means it is being written by
  volountary authors on their spare time. Join the mailist list and discuss
  new features and functions with the rest of us. Write additions and send
  context patches to the project maintainer when done and thoroughly tested.

1.6  How do I apply patches?

  Every now and then there are patches distributed that fix bugs or add
  features to existing Dancers. To apply one of those patches to your version,
  do as follows:

  You must have the tool known as 'patch', and then preferably the GNU
  version.

  1. cd into your dancer source dir

        % cd path/to/dancer/src

  2. run patch with the patch file as input like

        % patch < path/to/patch

===================================================================

2.  Running

2.1  How do I run it?

  There are three phases to get Dancer up and running the first time (or each
  time you receive a new version.) First phase is to compile it; second phase
  editing important files (this can be done via the install script); third
  phase starting it.

2.1.1  How do I compile it?

  All three steps - system configuration, compilation, and installment
  are done in one go.

    > make

2.1.1.1 Problems when compiling

  SunOS Solaris (2.6 upwards usually with gcc versions 2.7.1 - 2.7.3)
  -------------

    Problem:  gcc gives you the #error: "No DATAMODEL_NATIVE specified" and/or
              warning: `NBBY' redefined.

    Solution: Its time to upgrade your gcc to a new version. See also:
              http://www.wins.uva.nl/pub/solaris/solaris2.html#q6.28

2.1.1.2 Fpl not found

  - If the Makefile script doesn't do it for you:

  If you have compiled fpl and the library wasn't found during the system
  configuration checks (because it is unable to find libraries placed in
  non-standard directories) you have to add it yourself.

  It can also end up that the configure script does find your fpl library, but
  that when using i.e gdb on the Solaris dancer, it doesn't find the library.

  The following changes must be done _after_ the system configuration checks
  (make configure), and _before_ compilation (make).

  In config.h you have to find and change the line

    /* #undef HAVE_LIBFPL */

  to

    #define HAVE_LIBFPL

  In Makefile you have to add -lfpl to the LIBS variable, and
  -L/path/to/your/libfpl (and also -R/path/to/your/libfpl on Solaris) to the
  LDFLAGS variable.

  - If things run the way they were designed to:

  Invoking the command 'make configure' (or 'make') should already have made
  the 'fplcheck' shell script run and search for libfpl for you. If it doesn't
  find it by itself, it asks for a manually entered path. If that doesn't work
  either, your system simply doesn't have fpl installed. Accept it or install
  it.

2.1.2  Which files do I have to edit?

  Using 'make install' (or 'make') pretty much edits the necessary files for
  you. After that, your bot should be able to run.

  If the above failed (or you just didn't do it) you have to...

  Most important is 'dancer.config'. You _must_ edit the "server", "nick", and
  "channel" fields. If you run 'dancer config', you will get a good standard
  template written to stdout that we recommend you to start with.

  Secondly you have to add yourself to the userlist in 'dancer.users',
  otherwise Dancer will not recognize you at all.

  If you want to use the 'launch.sh' script to start Dancer (which is highly
  recommended -- see 2.2) you must edit the "path" variable to point to the
  directory from where you are running it (if you are in doubt, try the shell
  command 'pwd'.)

2.1.3  How do I start it?

  From the directory where you want to run Dancer, type either the name of the
  executable file (per default 'dancer') or use the 'launch.sh' script (see
  also 2.2)

  Dancer may quit IRC, due to server crashes, connections timeouts,
  system shutdown, and bugs in Dancer. To ensure that it will reconnect
  you can either run it from a shell loop (don't use 'launch.sh' in that
  case) or from cron ('launch.sh' contains a short summary of the
  syntax.)

2.2  Do I have to use the launch script?

  No, you can start the bot directly with 'dancer'. The advantage of using the
  launch script is that it will check if you already are running the bot, and
  exit if so. This make it suitable to use in a cron job.

2.3  It doesn't start.

  Make sure that your dancer.config and dancer.users are in the same directory
  as the executable file and that they contain valid information.

2.3.1 The logfile contains a DEBUG statement.

  If everything else fails try setting the environment variable DANCER_MYHOST
  to the full name (host and internet domain) of your machine, ie. "setenv
  DANCER_HOST breese.imada.ou.dk" (this assumes that the machine the bot runs
  on is called "breese" and is located in the "imada.ou.dk" domain.) It may
  also be a good idea to add this line to launch.sh if you run it from cron.

2.3.2 The logfile contains an ERROR statement.

  The end of the logfile may show a few lines similar to this:

  12.06.00 ***     ERROR: (:Closing Link: [foobar@139.99.99.225] (Ping
                   timeout)) from irc.that-funny-server.com
  12.06.00 ***     Cleanup
  12.06.00 ***     No seen item changed, no save performed.
  12.06.00 ***     Exit

  This is no stranger than it sounds. The 'ping timeout' message is an error
  message the ircd server sent you because the bot did not respond properly
  to the server within time. It is likely because your network connection to
  the server is very bad at the moment. You could list more than one server
  for the bot to use, which will make it move on and try the next one in
  cases like this.

2.4  It doesn't recognize me.

  Some commands are password protected. The default password is "pass". Type
  "/msg <yourbot> pass pass" to authenticate.

  Check if your host name is registered (SVIEW -A). Sometimes DNS fails and
  you enter IRC with an IP numerics address instead of a hostname. To be on
  the safe side register both types to your accounts, ie. you@*.site and
  you@999.999.999.*

  NOTE: the default password is possible to configure in the .config file and
  thus you must change the commands suggested accordingly.

2.5  My friend forgot his password. Can I find it somewhere?

  No, all passwords are encrypted. You cannot read his password, but you can
  re-install the default password (which can be changed, but is "pass" in all
  'factory default' bots) by using the DEFPASS command.

2.6  I cannot dcc chat with it.

  If you're behind a firewall, try CLIENT. This command makes Dancer send a
  dcc chat request to you instead.

  If it says that you already have a connection or a pending attempt to get
  one, you can abort it with CUT.

  Sometimes, due to congestion of the network, it is unable to establish a
  connection because of some TCP timeout value. In that case there's not much
  else to do than to try again.

2.7  It crashes in mysterious ways.

  First, remove the optimize (-O, -O2 or -O3) option from the compile flags.
  (A lot of gcc-versions do generate bad executables when optimizing.)

  If the bug remains, send us a report and include things like:
  * the latest entries in the logfile
  * possible trace-log
  * details of how we should do to repeat it

  If the crash generated a core file, enter 'gdb dancer core' (or if the crash
  happens while you're running the bot through gdb) enter 'bt' and include
  that output in your report. enter 'quit' to leave gdb again.

  For systems with limited stack sizes (such as AmigaOS), we suggest you
  enlarge the stack a lot before running Dancer to prevent getting problems
  with that.


2.8 How do I upgrade smoothly?

  Unpack the new archive (it will get extracted in a new directory (named
  after the new version).

  Compile the new version.

  Read the CHANGES file carefully. Perform all actions that are mentioned in
  it as must-do-things.

  Rename the old executable and the dancer.config files (just to be able to go
  back if wanted).

  Copy the new executabable to the place of the old one.

  Run 'dancer config' in the old directory. Redirect the output to a temporary
  file. Edit the file according to your preferences and then save it as
  'dancer.config'. Do note that it might contain new entries as well as old
  ones may have been removed or got different comments.

  Run the new one.


2.9  How do I make it register with Undernet X/W channel service?

  Use FPL. Add this line to your dancer.fplconf

    join: "" if (!strcmp("%u", "%n")) Do("PRIVMSG [e-mail] :pass [channel] [password]");

  Replace [password] and [channel] with the appropriate strings.


2.10 How do I bind a dancer to a vhost?

  Enter a line similar to 'myhost=192.168.10.255' in your normal config file.
  Replace the above IP address with your own prefered one.

2.11 How do I enable longer than 9 letter nicks?

  Edit your dancer.h, the lines of interest look like:

        #define NICKLEN 9
        #define NICKLENTXT "9" /*QUOTE(NICKLEN)*/

  Change both of these to fit the maximum nick length of your network.
  Recompile.

===================================================================

3.  Commands

3.1  It doesn't answer me if I talk to it from outside the channel.

  Dancer is a _channel_ bot. It ignores all commands from people it cannot see
  on the channel. The exceptions are all CTCP, /invite, INVITE, and everything
  sent through a dcc chat connection.

3.2  How do I use <insert-arbitrary-command-here>?

  Dancer has a simple on-line help feature. HELP <cmd> gives a short
  description of the command, and SYNTAX <cmd> summarize the available
  arguments and options.

3.3  Can I issue commands in public?

  Yes, start your command with at least the first 4 letters of the nickname of
  the bot. Not all commands are publicly available. To use a public command
  you need at least level 20, or at least level 10 and to be chanop. The
  reason for this is that public commands should be used if the output is of
  interest to more than just the one issuing it. See also 'HELP CMD'.

3.4  Can I redirect the output of a command to someone else?

  Yes. Use "SHOW <nick> <cmd> <args>". Not all commands allow redirection of
  their output.

3.5  Can I add my own commands?

  Yes. It is possible to add commands through fpl. Some examples can be found
  in the distribution.

3.6  Invite?

  There are two kinds of invitations. Do not confuse these two!

  (1) Inviting Dancer to a certain channel. This is used if you
      want to move Dancer to another channel. It is done by the /invite
      command (this is an ircII command and may be slightly different on other
      clients.) Dancer will only react to /invites from users with level 50
      and above. If you don't want Dancer to migrate to other channels, you
      can turn this feature off with "SET INVITE OFF".

  (2) Getting an invitation from Dancer to an invite-only channel.
      This is used if you want to join an invite-only (+i) channel where
      Dancer resides. It is done by sending the command "INVITE <your-passwd>"
      to Dancer. Only users with level 10 and above are able to use this
      feature.


===================================================================

4.  Fpl

4.1  What is fpl?

  Frexx Programming Language, FPL, is a shared library interpreting language
  copyright (C) 1992-1998 by FrexxWare. FPL is Freeware and freely
  distributable for non-commercial purposes only, including extensive
  documentation and source code. Use within commercial products must be done
  with written permission from the author.

  FPL is entirely isolated from the rest of the software. FPL is only the
  programming language and nothing else. FPL is OS independent. It can (and
  will) be used under other Operating Systems than this.

  For more information about FPL, fpl.library (Amiga shared library), fpl.DLL
  (OS/2 dynamically linked library), fpllib.a (UNIX shared library), other FPL
  versions, porting issues, bug reports, enhancement requests or anything else
  regarding this subject, don't hesitate to get in touch with the author.

 Author:
   Daniel Stenberg <[e-mail]>

===================================================================

5.  Files

5.1  Where can I get the latest version of Dancer?

  The official homepage of Dancer, which always contains the latest relevant
  information, is at:

    http://www.fts.frontec.se/~dast/dancer/

  The official ftp site is:

    ftp://ftp.dk.net/pub/network/irc/dancer/

5.2  Where can I find the fpl library?

  http://www.fts.frontec.se/~dast/stuff/

5.3  Where can I find <external-program-being-used>?

  For finding programs in general 'archie' is highly recommended.  If 'archie'
  isn't installed at your site you can try one of the web versions
  (http://www.funet.fi/funet/archie/archieplexform.html.)  You may also want
  to try a web search (guide.infoseek.com, altavista.digital.com)

  The following are examples of places where you can find some of the more
  exotic programs used by Dancer. Basic programs like the sh shell, echo,
  head, grep, etc. are not listed.

    host    -- DNS lookup
      ftp://ftp.nikhef.nl/pub/network/host.tar.gz

    vrfy    -- Email verifier
      ftp://ftp.nikhef.nl/pub/network/vrfy.tar.gz

    ispell  -- Spellchecker
      http://fmg-www.cs.ucla.edu/geoff/ispell.html

    webster -- English dictionary lookup
      ftp://moose.cs.indiana.edu/pub/webster/webster.tar.Z