Welcome to DareNET

DareNET is an inclusive, multi-purpose community centered around an IRC network. We currently maintain our own server and services software, which allows us to provide our users an experience not found on most other networks. To help you get started, we've provided a brief guide for new users below, so read on!

Before we begin, you should take some time to become familiar with our Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which makes clear what is and is not acceptable behavior here on DareNET - mostly common sense.

Connecting

There are currently two different methods available to you:

You can use WebChat to connect to DareNET through your web browser, or
You can download an IRC client, you can find a list here.

Downloading and setting up a client is often preferred, though does require a bit of effort on your part.

The server you should use to connect to DareNET is irc.darenet.org.

Once connected...

Once you've connected to our network, you'll probably want to register a NickServ account. What does NickServ do you ask? Well, it keeps track of what nicknames are registered to you, what channels you have access in, vhosts, etc. It's an essential part of DareNET and allows you to use all services we provide to our users.

Now, on to the good stuff...

NickServ Account Registration

Your account name is an arbitrary name independent of your nickname. It is how NickServ, ChanServ and other services recognize you, and soon, how you'll login to our web site! Please keep in mind this is not nickname registration. We'll cover that a little later in this guide.

To register your account, type the following NickServ command:

/nickserv REGISTER accountname password email_address

The e-mail address that you use must be valid as you will be sent a 'cookie' that you must supply back to NickServ to validate your account.

Authenticating / Logging into NickServ

Once you have completed registration, you'll need to login to your account when you connect to DareNET to use it. You can do this by using one of the following commands:

/nickserv AUTH accountname password

or

/auth accountname password

If the command is used correctly, NickServ will notice you with the following message:

-NickServ- Authentication as YourAccountNameHere successful. You are now logged in!
-NickServ- Remember, DareNET's staff will NEVER ask you for your account
-NickServ- password. The only place to receive assistance with account
-NickServ- related matters on DareNET is in #Support

Alternatively, our servers support a "Login-on-connect" method, which will automatically login you in to NickServ while you're connecting to our servers. It will also exempt you from any DNSBL checks. For more information on how to setup "Login-on-connect" for your IRC client, please go here.

Registering your Nickname

You can register the nicknames you commonly use to your NickServ account. By registering your nicknames you'll be able to prevent others from using them. NOTE: you MUST be using the nickname you want to register AND logged into your NickServ account when using the below command:

/nickserv regnick

If it's successful, NickServ will message you a notice like the following:

-NickServ- Nick NickHere has been registered to you.

Now, to prevent others from usimng it you can enable the RECLAIM option for your account by using the following command:

/nickserv SET RECLAIM on

Now, if someone tries using your nicknames without identifying to your account, NickServ will force them to change to a different nick.

Hiding your IP address / Host

DareNET allows its registered users to hide their IP address/host from other users for extra peace of mind. If you would like to use hostmasking, simply use the following command:

/mode yournickhere +x

Alternatively, you cam have NickServ automatically set you +x when you identify to your account. To do this, use the following command:

/nickserv SET AUTOHIDE on