NickServ

1. What does nickserv do ?
2. Identifying to a nick
3. Requesting information on a nick
4. "Nickname is currently in use"

     a) The GHOST command
     b) The RECOVER command
     c) The RELEASE command

5. Access Lists and Checking Access
6. Setting Options
    a) Changing your Password
    b) Preventing others from using your nick
    c) Attaching an URL to your nick
    d) (Re)Setting an E-Mail Address
    e) Displaying your E-Mail Address
    f) Disabling Memos
    g) Preventing Op Status
    h) Disabling SENDPASS
7. Dropping a nick
8. "I forgot my password"

· What does NickServ do ?

NickServ permits users to 'register' a nickname, and stop others from using that nick. NickServ allows the owner of a nick to disconnect another user who is using the nick. If a registered nick is not used by the owner for 30 days, NickServ will drop it, leaving it up for grabs by another user. When registering a nick, you are taking advantage of a free service provided by the DALnet IRC network. Please don't register more nicks than you will be able to use, or register a nick for the sole purpose of preventing others from using it.

· Identifying to a nick

There are actually a number of ways to identify to a nickname. You can also identify to a nickname that you are not using at the time. The more traditional and well-known way would be:

/nickserv identify [<nickname>] <password>

Example:

/nickserv identify IlovetoHelp

/nickserv identify Canadian IlovetoHelp

Here "IlovetoHelp" is my password, Canadian is my nick =)

There are also a variety of other ways to identify to your nickname:

/identify [<nickname>] <password>

/services identify [<nickname>] <password>

/msg nickserv@services.dal.net identify [<nickname>] <password>

/identify Canadian IlovetoHelp

/services identify Canadian IlovetoHelp

/msg nickserv@services.dal.net identify Canadian IlovetoHelp

Since "/identify" and "/services" are DALnet built-in server commands, there are some clients which may not accept them. If yours does not accept the commands, you will have to add the "/quote" prefix:

/quote identify [<nickname>] <password>

/quote services identify [<nickname>] <password>

/quote identify Canadian IlovetoHelp

/quote services identify Canadian IlovetoHelp

There have been many incidences of people accidentally displaying their password in the open channel or in private message by omitting the */* command character. Therefore, I strongly suggest that you pay special attention when identifying to your nick. A number of clients also support multiple windows. For those users, it might be a good idea to type out any password including commands in the Status window (or its equivalent).

· Requesting information on a nick

The following command is very useful for obtaining information on a registered nickname. It will give you an idea of the owner's host, the last time they were online, the options they have set, etc.

Syntax: /nickserv info <nickname>

Example: /nickserv info Canadian

Below is an example of what the NickServ INFO request may return as information:

-NickServ- Info for Canadian:

-NickServ- (Currently on IRC) For extra info: /whois Canadian

-NickServ- Last seen address : Sprint@townhall.tk

-NickServ- Last seen time : Tue 11/13/2001 08:30:37 GMT

-NickServ- Time registered : Tue 02/27/2001 05:36:47 GMT

-NickServ- Time now : Tue 11/13/2001 08:30:43 GMT

-NickServ- Options: Enforced, NoOp, Mailblock

-NickServ- *** End of Info ***

· Nickname is currently in use"

For one reason or another, your nickname may already be in use when you try to use it. Depending on the situation, there are three different commands to use.

· The GHOST command

It's possible that you may have been disconnected from your ISP (Internet Service Provider) without first having logged off DALnet. This and other situations may occasionally cause the server to believe that you are still online. The nickname representing your previous connection is referred to as a "ghost". In other words, a ghost is a connection that does not really exist anymore. The server just doesn't know it yet. A ghost usually always disappears after a few minutes but you may not have the patience to wait. The command to get rid of a ghost is as follows:

/nickserv ghost <nickname> [<password>]

Example: /nickserv ghost Canadian IlovetoHelp

If you use the password in the ghost command then you are considered to have identified to your nick just as if you had used the "/nickserv identify <nickname> <password>" command.

· The RECOVER command

If you don't have the ENFORCE option on, or if someone just started using your nick and NickServ hasn't had a chance to guest them , you have the option to disconnect someone who is currently using your nick with the RECOVER command.

/nickserv recover <nickname> [<password>]

Example: /nickserv recover Canadian IlovetoHelp

NOTE: NickServ will also put an "enforcer" on your nickname for one to two minutes so that no one can use your nick immediately afterwards. Read further on to learn about enforcers.

· The RELEASE command

An "enforcer" is a temporary connection that services uses to hold on to a nick. An enforcer appears whenever someone does not identify to NickServ for that nick within 60 seconds (provided that the ENFORCE option for that nick is turned on). The user's nick will be changed to Guest***** and an enforcer will come online.

Using the NickServ RECOVER command will also trigger the presence of an enforcer.

An enforcer can be recognized very easily from its whois information. Example:

Canadian is enforcer@enforcer.dal.net * DALnet nick name enforcer

Canadian is on services.dal.net

End of /WHOIS list.

An enforcer disappears on its own after a minute or two. You may choose to wait it out, or you can use the RELEASE command to get rid of the enforcer.

/nickserv release <nickname> [<password>]

Example: /nickserv release Canadian IlovetoHelp

· Access Lists and Checking Access

Using the access list can get pretty confusing, especially for the newbie user. Therefore, we have written a document solely on access lists, what they are, how to use them along with their advantages and disadvantages.

Users also have the ability to check the access of themselves or another user. This will allow them to see if the person currently using the nick has actually identified to a nick, is only using the nick or is using it without having identified. The command is:

/nickserv acc <nickname>

NickServ will return a number from 0 to 3. It will look something like this:

-NickServ- Canadian ACC 2

Each number represents a different level of access that the user has with the nick that they are using at the time.

0 The nickname used is not registered.

1 The user has not identified to the nickname.

2 The user matches an access list entry for the nickname.

3 The user has identified to the nickname.

This command can be useful in a number of situations, such as detecting impersonators, finding out why someone is not being an opped even if they are on the AOp/SOp list, etc.

· Setting Options

There are many options available to the owner of a fully registered nick. Before using any of the following commands, you should have identified to your nickname. Most of the commands will not work unless you have already identified.

Changing your Password

Changing your password is very easy:

/nickserv set passwd <currentpassword> <newpassword>

An example would be:

/nickserv set passwd IlovetoHelp Lovesux

The above command would have changed your old password of "IlovetoHelp" to "Lovesux".

Preventing others from using your nick (enforce)

One of the benefits of registering your nick is that you can prevent others from using it while you are not using it or while you are not online.

This feature was previously known as the *KILL* option but has since been renamed to the *ENFORCE* option.

When someone uses an "enforced" nick, they will be given 60 seconds to identify. Otherwise, their nickname will forcibly be changed to "Guest*****" where each * represents a random number.

/nickserv set enforce on

/nickserv set enforce off

Out of long habit, there are still people who use the KILL command instead of the ENFORCE command. Both accomplish the same thing. Regardless, we strongly recommend that you get used to the ENFORCE command since it's possible that the KILL command may be removed some time in the future.

Attaching an URL to your nick

It's possible to attach an URL to your nickname so that it displays in the NickServ INFO output. Usually, people use it to give the location of their homepage.

Syntax: /nickserv set url [<URL-here>]

Not including the URL parameter will cause NickServ to remove the existing URL from your nick.

Examples:

/nickserv set url

/nickserv set url http://channels.dal.net/townhall/

The first would have removed the URL that was already attached to the nick. The second would have attached http://www.aditya.com/ to the nickname.

(Re)Setting an E-Mail Address

When first registering a nickname, you were required to enter a valid email address in order to confirm your registration. You may chose to change the email address listed for your nick to something else. This is accomplished through the SET EMAIL command.

/nickserv set email [<email address>]

Using the above command without an email address will cause NickServ to show you the email address that you currently have set. Actually changing your email address will naturally require you to enter a valid email address:

/nickserv set email Canadian@hotmail.com

Keep in mind that you will have to authorize the email change before it takes effect. The authorization email will be sent to this new address, in our case, Canadian@hotmail.com

A number of email addresses cannot be used for registering nicknames. This is due to abuse issues. For obvious reasons, you may not use @u.dal.net addresses to register your nick either.

Displaying your E-Mail Address

By default, the email address that you have set for your nick is completely invisible to other users. If you want to display your email address in your NickServ INFO output then you have only to use the SHOWEMAIL option.

/nickserv set showemail on

/nickserv set showemail off

The former will cause NickServ to display your email address in a NickServ INFO output and the latter will prevent it from displayed.

Disclaimer: The DALnet network is not responsible for any spam (mass advertising) that you may receive in your email account, should you chose to enable this option.

Disabling Memos

SYNTAX: /nickserv set nomemo <on/off>

The NOMEMO option is strongly related to MemoServ and is also covered in the MemoServ help document, In short, it will prevent others from sending memos to you. However, you will still receive global memos. It's also possible for an IRCop to force a memo on you if they wish to inform you of an issue of importance.

/nickserv set nomemo on

/nickserv set nomemo off

That will turn the NOMEMO option on and off respectively. Keep in mind that the NOMEMO option actually overrides the MemoServ FORWARD option. It's possible to have a forwarding nick listed even if NOMEMO is turned on, but the memos will not be forwarded and will be refused right away.

Preventing Op Status

Just as it's possible for you to prevent memos from being sent to your nick, it's also possible for you to prevent your nick from being added to any AOp or SOp lists.

/nickserv set noop on

/nickserv set noop off

The above commands enable and disable this option respectively. Should you wish to be added to an AOp or SOp list, it will be necessary to first turn off the NOOP option and then turn it back on if desired.

Disabling SENDPASS

DALnet allows you request your password if you have forgotten it You may chose to disable this self-send password ability by turning the MAILBLOCK option on. Please use this command carefully since you will not be able to request assistance if you ever lose your password.

/nickserv set mailblock on

/nickserv set mailblock off

Turning the MAILBLOCK off will once again allow you to self-send your passwords.

· Dropping a nick

You can chose to unregister your nick. The deregistration process is done in two steps. First, you have to request for a nickname to be dropped. Secondly, you have to confirm your decision to drop your nickname.

The initial DROP command is as follows:

/nickserv drop <nickname>

Example:

/nickserv drop Canadian

NickServ will reply something along the lines of this:

-NickServ- Dropping a nickname is permanent and cannot be undone!

-NickServ- To confirm, type: /nickserv DROP Canadian 42343401545

Follow the instructions above by entering the exact authorization number. Copy and Paste may come in quite useful here. :)

/nickserv drop <nickname> <authorization code>

Example: /nickserv drop Canadian 42343401545

Finally, NickServ will confirm the drop of the nickname:

-NickServ- The nick Canadian has been successfully dropped.

· "I forgot my password"

Before you panic about having forgotten your password, keep in mind that passwords are "CaSe SeNsItIvE". This means that "STAR" is not the same as "star" or "StaR". Try all the combinations on your password first. You might not have forgotten your password after all. :)

Attaching an email address to your nickname will allow you to request for a password email to be sent for that nick. The syntax of this command is:

/nickserv sendpass [<nick>] [<email address>]

Example: /nickserv sendpass Canadian Canadian30@hotmail.com

The email address that you specify *must* match the email address that we have on file for the nickname in question. The SENDPASS command will also be disabled if your MAILBLOCK option has been turned on.

If you are not able to solve a forgotten password problem on your own, you may request the assistance of an IRCop. join #operhelp

Special Thanks to DALnet Network

The DALnet IRC Network

NickServ - "Protector of Names"

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