Introduction:

This file answers some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the Undernet Channel Service and the X and W bots. If your question is not answered here, check the sources found in Section 5. If there is a question that you feel should be in here, send it to cservice@undernet.org.

Section 1:General UCS/CSC questions

* 1.1 -- what is the UCS/CSC?
* 1.2 -- Who owns the UCS/CSC?
* 1.3 -- Where is the CSC's office? What is the CSC's phone number?
* 1.4 -- Who pays for the CSC? How does the CSC make a profit?
* 1.5 -- How can I become a CSC helper/admin?
* 1.6 -- How can I tell if someone really is a CSC helper/admin?

Section 2:General X/W Questions

* 2.1 -- What are X and W? What do X and W do?
* 2.2 -- How does this differ from any other bot?
* 2.3 -- How do X and W differ from each other?
* 2.4 -- Why is X so slow sometimes?
Why do W and X disappear sometimes?
* 2.5 -- Why doesn't the CSC put X/W on a better system?

Section 3:Registration Information

* 3.1 -- Why would I want to register my channel?
* 3.2 -- What channels can get X/W onto it?
* 3.3 -- How do I get X/W on to a channel?
* 3.4 -- Why does the application require supporters?
* 3.5 -- Can I have more than one manager?
* 3.6 -- What is the registration process?
* 3.7 -- Why does registration take so long?
* 3.8 -- How can I check to see if my channel has been added?
* 3.9 -- It's been more than a month since I sent in my application, and I haven't heard anything from CSC, what should I do?
* 3.10 -- What if I have problems (such as a takeover) before my channel is added to X/W?
* 3.11 -- My channel is added, what do I do now?
* 3.12 -- Can I register more than one channel?
* 3.13 -- What if I want to switch channel names?

Section 4:Complaints and Channel Problems

* 4.1 -- How can I complain about X/W being on a channel?
* 4.2 -- I don't like the content of a channel with X/W on it, what can I do?
* 4.3 -- I was kicked/banned from a channel with X/W on it for no reason, who can I complain to?
* 4.4 -- I tried to deop/kick X/W, but I got this message that says I can't do that. Why?
* 4.5 -- A CSC helper/admin was very rude to me, what can I do?

Section 5:Getting More Help

* 5.1 -- How can I get help for X/W on IRC?
* 5.2 -- How can I get a copy of the manager's FAQ?
* 5.3 -- How can I get a copy of the Op FAQ? * 5.4 -- Where are the CSC WWW pages?
* 5.5 -- What if I have other questions?

Section 6:FAQ Credits

SECTION 1:General UCS/CSC Questions

Question 1.1:What is the UCS/CSC?

The Undernet Channel Service (UCS), aka the Channel Service Committee (CSC), is the Undernet committee responsible for the registration of channels and for handling problems with those channels. It is comprised of unpaid volunteers who want to help out.

Question 1.2:Who owns the UCS/CSC?

The CSC is not owned by any one person. It is an organization run under the auspices of the Undernet administrators, and run by the CSC administrators (see 1.7). Currently D-in-Tx oversees the CSC.

Question 1.3:Where is the CSC's office? What is the CSC's phone number?

The CSC does not have a physical office or phone number. Some helpers and admins can be found in channel #cservice on Undernet. All correspondence should be emailed to cservice@undernet.org

Question 1.4:Who pays for the CSC? How does the CSC make a profit?

The CSC relies solely on the donation of time, disk space, and services by Undernet administrators. The CSC helpers and admins are not paid for their time. The disk space and computer time to run X/W are donated by the respective system administrators. The CSC does not charge for channel registrations, and therefore does not turn a profit.

Question 1.5:How can I become a CSC helper/admin?

Generally, CSC helpers are people who hang around on #cservice and help out answering questions. Trusted helpers are those who have been around for a while, and are trusted by the admins. CSC admins are chosen by the current administrators, usually from the trusted helpers. If you want to help out, just join #cservice and start watching to see how questions are handled. When you feel you are ready to begin helping on the channel, simply compose an e-mail to cservice@undernet.org. Be sure to include your nick, e-mail address, user@host(s), why you want to help, and any languages you may speak. Please do *not* ask for ops, or ask how much longer until you become a helper. Merely "help for helping's sake" :)

Question 1.6:How can I tell if someone really is a CSC helper/admin?

Official helpers and admins can be verified through X/W with one of the following commands:

These commands produce messages such as these:

-X- Jonafun!Fridge@ds-13.awod.com is an official CSERVICE helper -W- Mike-!mobrien@207.152.122.13 is a CSERIVCE admin

Sometimes helpers may not be verifiable by this method. You should then ask #cservice if they are truly a helper. If you have the slightest doubt about someone's claim to be a helper or admin, do not hesitate to check it out. If you find that someone is impersonating a CSC admin, please report it to #cservice.

SECTION 2:General X/W Questions

Question 2.1:What are X and W? What do X and W do?

X and W are the CSC bots, written by Seks. One of these is assigned to each registered channel. For each channel, these bots maintain a userlist, which specifies who has what access and who should be opped, and an lbanlist, which specifies who to ban from joining the channel (or from getting ops), and for how long. They are designed to keep a channel open 24 hours a day, and prevent channel takeovers.

Question 2.2:How does this differ from any other bot?

X and W are actually each servers, not just bots. They are allowed to work this way because they are run by the Undernet administration. This allows them to do several special functions, such as regaining ops if ops are lost. Also, each bot is on a large number of channels. By having one bot for many channels, this reduces the load on the Undernet network that would be caused by having one separate bot on each channel.

Question 2.3:How do X and W differ from each other?

There is no difference between X and W as far as the commands and services available is concerned. The only differences are that X and W each run on separate servers and each one handles a different list of channels. The bots are assigned to registered channels at random.

Question 2.4:Why are X/W slow sometimes? Why do X/W disappear sometimes?

Just like any other bot or user on Undernet, X and W are subject to lag and netsplits caused by bad connections between Undernet servers. This can cause X and W to slow down drastically (sometimes up to 5 minutes lag), and even disappear. If this happens, please be patient. Be assured that Undernet and CSC admins are working to get them back to normal as quickly as possible in the event of such a problem.

Question 2.5:Why doesn't the CSC put X/W on a better system?

X and W each require a lot of disk space and computer resources. And on top of this, they need to be run on a machine that is an Undernet server. Currently, the system administrators of irc.direct.ca (vancouver.bc.ca.undernet.org) and irc.wildstar.net (okc.ok.us.undernet.org) are donating the necessary resources. While it is possible to move X and W, it is not feasible, as there is not another system to move one of them to right now, and moving them involves a lot of time and work.

SECTION 3:Registration Information

Question 3.1:Why would I want to register my channel?

Registration not only provides you with the ability to keep your channel open 24 hours a day, it also gives the channel stability. In the case of a channel takeover, the manager always has ultimate control to regain the channel. Also, it provides you with a way to have users auto-op'd, and a more permanent banlist.

Question 3.2:What channels can get X/W onto them?

Almost any Undernet channel can be registered. The only types of channels that are currently excluded are

* warez-type channels or any channels dealing in illegal trading or activities * channels dealing with child pornography * channels dealing with hacking/abusing IRC (including flooding)

The CSC admins do reserve the right to reject any channel registration for any reason that they deem valid. Do not try to change the name of one of these types of channels, or try and conceal the channel activity, as CSC has many ways of finding out the true uses of a channel.

Question 3.3:How do I get X/W on to a channel?

To get X/W onto your channel, the channel must be registered. In order to do this, you must first have some consensus on the channel as to who will be the channel manager. Then you must have 10 supporters. Supporters are people who frequent your channel (not neccessarily ops), and want you to register it. Once you have these two things, you need to fill out the registration form, which can be found at the CService WWW site (http://cservice.undernet.org/regist).

Question 3.4:Why does the application require supporters?

Supporters are required because the CSC only registers established, well used channels. By requiring supporters, CSC can know that there are at least 10 people who use this channel. It also prevents users with malicious intents from taking over a channel by registering it out from under the true users of the channel.

Question 3.5:Can I have more than one manager?

The CSC frowns greatly on multiple channel managers. This is because in the case of a dispute between channel managers, there is no way for CSC to mediate. Multiple managers are only allowed in extreme circumstances, and to have more than one manager you must petition cservice-special@undernet.org with the reason.

Question 3.6:What is the registration process?

After your registration form is received by the CSC, the supporter email addresses are checked and each supporter is mailed a copy of the application. The applications is then posted to the regisistration WWW pages under new applications. They are left in this category for 10 days, during which time other people can object to the channel by using the web pages. The application then moves to the "Pending" section. Here, the applications are also reviewed by CSC to make sure they meet the criteria for registration. If the application is approved, you will receive an approval email and instructions on where to obtain the channel manager's FAQ. The channel is added as soon as it is approved. The entire registration process takes 10-15 days to complete.

Question 3.7:Why does registration take so long?

In the past, it took anywhere from 4 to 7 weeks to register a channel. Thanks to some scripting work by SeKs, that time is now down to about 10-15 days. Essentially, here is what happens. Once the application is submitted, the script checks to see if the channel is either already registered, or has already been applied for.

Later on, at the end of each day, the application is checked for alias e-mail addresses or such things that would cause the application to be rejected. Then, the application is again scanned by a person for anything else that may have been missed. This portion takes 1-2 days. Next, the channel is visited several times over a 3 day period by Visitbot. This checks to ensure the channel is indeed established.

For 5 more days (for a total of 10), the application can be objected to. Once this period is over, the app is moved into the pending category, and either registered or rejected. While in pending, a CService Admin reviews any objections and decides whether to register or not.

In total, the registration process takes approximately 10-15 days to complete. Once the channel has been registered, the manager is notified via e-mail and is provided with instructions on how to obtain the Channel Manager's FAQ (xfaq.man).

Question 3.8:How can I check to see if my channel has been added?

You can check to see if your channel has been added to X or W by typing the following command to check both bots:

Question 3.9:It's been more than two days since I sent in my application, and I haven't heard anything from CSC, what should I do?

If you do not hear anything from CSC, one of several things may have happened:

* 1) Your application may never have arrived, or may have been lost * 2) There could be some backups on registrations causing them to take longer than the normal 10-15 days * 3) Your channel could have been rejected and you missed the email telling you this. * 4) One of the e-mail addresses you listed as a supporter on your application may have bounced (not existed), and your application was automatically rejected. You will not receive an e-mail in such an instance.

If two days have passed, and you have not heard from the CSC, check the registration pages and make sure your channel was not rejected. Also check the "New", "Pending" and "Accepted" categories. If your channel is listed, be assured that CSC is processing it. If your channel is not listed anywhere, please resubmit your application.

Question 3.10:What if I have problems (such as a takeover) before my channel is added to X/W?

Because your channel is not technically a registered channel until it is actually added to X or W, there is nothing that CSC or #cservice can do to help you with channel problems at this point. You need to talk to one of the IRCops, whom you can usually find on #zt, and ask them if they will help you out. Generally, help is only given to channels in which ops were lost through a netsplit or flooding. Having logs of said takeover always helps.

Question 3.11:My channel is added, what do I do now?

Congratulations, you are now a channel manager. In the e-mail you recived telling you that your channel is now registered, you will find instructions on how to retrieve the Channel Manager's FAQ (xfaq.man) from the FTP site, ftp.undernet.org.

In addition, there are many knowledgable people on #cservice who will be happy to answer any questions you may have. Also, the CSC gives "OpSchools" in #opschool, which teach basic commands, along with other information to help you enjoy IRC more. To inquire about class dates, type "/msg Underbot motd" (without quotes) when on IRC.

Question 3.12:Can I register more than one channel?

Each user is allowed to register one channel. They may, in addition to this channel, register a help channel that provides assistance to users for things such as: Software products, Internet services, Internet Service Providers. If you are unsure if you channel falls under this category, email cservice@undernet.org and ask. ("Each user" is defined as a person, not as an email address. If you have multiple email addresses, you may not register multiple channels. One channel, and optionally one help channel, per person)

In order to register a help channel as a second channel, you cannot use the web pages to register. Simply compose an e-mail to cservice-special@undernet.org that contains all the information asked for on the web page.

Question 3.13:What if I want to switch channel names?

Since channel registration is for the channel, there is no provision for changing channel names. If you wish to "change names", you must first write to purge@undernet.org and request that your existing channel be purged from X or W. When you receive a reply telling you that your channel has been purged, simply fill out an application on the web page for your new channel.

SECTION 4:Complaints and Channel Problems

Question 4.1:How can I complain about X/W being on a channel?

If you think you have a valid reason why X/W should not be on a registered channel (see 4.2), such as the manager is never around, or it is a warez or child pornography channel, you can email your complaint to object@undernet.org. If there is a lot of support for your complaint, please include the email addresses and nicks of those who support you in your letter (do NOT have everyone send a separate letter). The CSC admins will evaluate your complaint, and if it is valid, action will be taken.

Question 4.2:I don't like the content of a channel with X/W on it, what can I do?

Because CSC does not consider content during the registration process, excepting warez and child porn channels, there is nothing you can do about this. The CSC specifically disclaims responsibility for the content of a channel, and the way the manager chooses to run the channel, as it would be an overwhelming task for CSC to police every registered channel.

Question 4.3:I was kicked/banned from a channel with X/W on it for no reason, who can I complain to?

As stated in 4.2 above, the CSC has no reponsibility for, nor say over how a manager, and those he gives operator status to, choose to run the channel. A channel operator can kick and/or ban someone for any reason they choose, or no reason at all. Therefore there is noone that you can complain to about this except the people who run that specific channel (the manager).

Question 4.4:I tried to deop/kick X/W, but I got this message that says I can't do that. Why?

Because X and W are Undernet services that exist to provide stability to registered channels, the Undernet and CSC admins have chosen to modify the Undernet servers to make it so that X and W cannot be kicked or deopped. By doing this, the stability of registered channels is greatly increased, and the load on the Undernet IRC network is decreased. This modification is in effect on all Undernet servers at this point in time.

Question 4.5:A CSC helper/admin was very rude to me, what can I do?

If you think an admin or helper was unnecessarily rude or abusive towards you, please make sure you have a log of the incident. Email this log, and a note explaining the situation, to d-in-tx@undernet.org. It will be read, evaluated, and responded to accordingly.

SECTION 5:Getting More Help

Question 5.1:How can I get help for X/W on IRC?

The CSC maintains a help channel on Undernet called #cservice. There are helpers and/or admins on this channel almost all the time. However, please make sure you have checked this FAQ, and the Op FAQ before asking a question there. If there is noone there to answer your question, you can email it to cservice@undernet.org.

Question 5.2:How can I get a copy of the manager's FAQ?

The manager's FAQ is availible several ways: * 1) On IRC: The Manager's FAQ is availible via DCC from Underbot. Just type: "/msg Underbot get Xfaq.man" * 2) On WWW: The Manager's FAQ is availible here * 3) By FTP: The Manager's FAQ is availible on the Undernet FTP server at ftp.undernet.org, or its mirror at ftp2.undernet.org.

Question 5.3:How can I get a copy of the Op FAQ?

The Op FAQ is availible several ways: * 1) On IRC: The Op FAQ is availible via DCC from Underbot. Just type: "/msg Underbot get Xfaq.op" * 2) On WWW: The Op FAQ is availible here * 3) By FTP: The Op FAQ is availible on the Undernet FTP server at ftp.undernet.org, or its mirror at ftp2.undernet.org.

Question 5.4:Where are the CSC WWW pages?

CSC maintains a single consolidated web page. On these pages, in addition to getting information about CSC and X/W, you can access channel userlists, banlists, chaninfo, and perform whois and channel searches on Undernet. The pages are located at:

* Main Page -- http://cservice.undernet.org/ * Registration -- http://cservice.undernet.org/regist

Question 5.5:What if I have other questions?

If none of these methods work, and you still have questions, feel free to email them to cservice@undernet.org

SECTION 6:FAQ Credits

This FAQ was composed by Todd Palino (Signe). Some of the questions were gathered from the original Xfaq.gen. Signe can be reached at signe@undernet.org.

This FAQ is maintained by Mike O'Brien (Mike-). Comments, questions, and corrections can be sent to mike@undernet.org.

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