Using IRC

An eRealm Primer

If you are looking at this page, you are probably in need of help for using IRC. While this guide won't go in detail of EVERY command for IRC, it will cover the basics, needed for general usage. If anyone feels the need to have something added here, please contact Spanky at gmorris erealm . org via email. For a more detailed guide please see http://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/ircprimer.html

Connecting to Servers

To chat on an IRC network, you must first connect to its server from an IRC client. Many IRC clients are available, although the 2 most common ones out there are mIRC and X-Chat. mIRC is a commercial program, while X-Chat is open source. There are also Java clients available. We provide a Java client on this website; you can click Chat Now! on the left and it will drop you right into our network so you can start chatting.

If you prefer to use a client on your PC, then follow this guide for connecting. To connect to a server, the command is /server servername. For example, to connect to this network, you will need to type in /server irc.erealm.org and then press enter.

Some servers will autojoin you to a channel on their network. A standard eRealm server will not do this but it could still happen in case of a misconfiguration.

After this point in the guide, it makes no difference if you are using a Java client or one on your PC, the commands are the same.

Registering your Nick

To register your nick will make your nick permanent on the system. Your nick is the name that identifies you. You can use just about anything you want, so long as its not obscene. Registering your nick also makes it so your nick cannot be stolen by someone else (well, as long as you pick a good password this shouldn't be a problem).

To register your nick, make sure your nick is what you want, then type in /ns register password email and press enter. Make sure your email is a valid one, sometimes an IRC network will send a verification email to you to register your nick; if this email you set is not valid then you have basically lost the nick unless a nice friendly admin decides to drop it for you.

Once you have registered your nick, for any subsequent connections will require you to "identify" or log in. To do this, the command is /ns identify password, where password is the pass you set. Also, if you are using a nick registered to someone else, the system will notify you and if you do not provide the pass within a minute, it will give you a nick with the name Guest and some random characters.

NOTE: eRealm staff will NEVER ask you for your nickserv pass. If someone asks you for this, do NOT give it to them and submit a support ticket immediately. Also, if you forget your pass, eRealm staff does not have the ability to retrieve your pass. Furthermore, we will not drop someone else's nick just so you can have it. You are welcome to wait until it expires to snag it, and we can tell you when it expires.

Making/Joining Channels

A channel is a term that refers to a "room" on IRC. To make a channel, all you have to do is join it. For instance, if you wish to create a room for cats, you would type /join #cats and press enter. All channel names have the # symbol in front of them. Channel names cannot have spaces in them.

To register your channel on eRealm, you must first have a registered nick. After you've registered your nick, you must first join the channel you want to register and be op on it. Please note that this must be a channel that is not already registered or else the system will not allow the registration.

The command to do this is /cs register #channel password description, where #channel is the channel name, password is the password for it (does not need to be your nickserv pass and probably shouldn't) and description can be any text you want including spaces and special characters.

Once your channel is registered it will give you owner status, or +q. If you wish to share the channel owner status with someone, they need to have the password you used to register it. The command they would use is /cs identify password.

Channel Levels

 Everyone on an IRC channel has certain flags that denote their status and power. Channel Owner, or +q is the highest level possible. Channel Admin, or +a is second highest. Operator, or +o is the most common admin on most irc channels. Half-op, or +h is a limited form of operator that can police users. This is typically given to operators in training. The last user level is +v, which is Voice. In the event a channel is placed in moderated mode (+m) to deal with flooders or other types of disruptive activity, users with any of these flags will still be able to talk. The last group of users is normal users, who have no flags and in the event of channel moderation, their chatter will be suppressed.

It is usually considered rude to ask for operator status, although it is not as big of a deal to ask for voice.

IRCOps and Other Admins

 Running this network, behind the scenes, are a group of people called either IRCOps or Admins. They can do everything from banning disruptive users or bots from the entire network, or even assist users in the usage of the network. Making these people angry is not in your best interest, but they can also be your best friends on the network.

It is considered rude to ask for an o:line, or operator status. If you feel you are operator material, feel free to fill out our Staff Application form on the left and we will contact you if we are interested.



This guide and all contents are copyrighted 2009 by George Morris. If you wish to post this guide on another website please ask for permission and details.