IRC: Identification

Without traditional user registration, some find the task of identifying themselves and other users to be daunting, but when you are equipped with the right knowledge, it is a very easy task.

Most users, though not all, should use a vhost. A vhost is attached to a registered nickname, and is only activated when that nickname has been logged into. Seeing a nickname and a vhost is a relatively fool proof method of determining if a user is who they say they are, and preventing impersonation.

Standard Vhosts #

Often times, members of a group will be given a single standardized VHost. So for example, all of the members of the NSS have the @nss.kolyma.net VHost. Because VHosts can only be approved by the KolymaNET IRC Administration, a @.kolyma.net vhost is a guaranteed way of identifying a KolymaNET employee. If you own a domain, you can also enforce standardized vhosts for members of your organization, and used that as a form of identification.

Furthermore, as elaborated on in the channels guide, you may configure your channel so that only users with the correct vhosts can enter the channel. By setting your channel to invite only, then placing an invite exception on any user with the correct vhost, you can have a channel which only permits members of your organization who have logged into their account from accessing the channel - making it just as safe as any other program.

A list of official VHost standards can be found in on the KolymaNET IRC page.

Symbols and prefixes#

A prefix is a symbol that is attached before the users nickname which denotes their status in a channel. Example: @operator or ~owner

~
User is owner of the current channel (mode +q)

&
User is an admin (SOP) on the current channel (mode +a).

@
User is an operator (AOP) on the current channel (mode +o).

%
User is a half-op on the current channel (mode +h).

+
User has voice on the current channel (mode +v).