Requiring IDENTD: What's your stance on it?

Michael · none Joined: 18 May 2003 Posts: 48

I know some networks require identd, and I understand why that might be. The problem is, some ISP's (like mine I think) are blocking port 113, making identd unusable, and therefore the person cannot connect to the network.

Do you require it, and why/why not?

moonman · Lurker Joined: 15 Jul 2003 Posts: 212

i dont, because i have problems getting it to work on my computer sometimes and i dont expect everyone else to enable something that i cant half the time.

U · Eleet Joined: 18 Jun 2003 Posts: 521 Location: IRC

I don't simply because of the havoc it can create.

I have roughly 1000 users on my network. The only way to successfully eradicate identd is via akill or kline.

So this means someone with identd connects, tries to get in, is found to have identd, and then gets killed. This burns up only a small smidge of bandwith, but if they have auto reconnect set, they could do this a few times before realising it and terminating the connect attempt.

Lets multiply this by however many thousand users a day are trying to connect. So now I'm burning bandwidth and not even getting users out of it, I'm just tossing people off.

Lets also add that, ok, true, alot of spambots and 'bad' stuff use servers without identd, but hey, lets be honest-if someone really wants to spam IRC networks, they will install identd. Alot of users don't because of the previous post-too lazy, or heck, don't know how and don't CARE to know how-they just want on IRC to talk to their buddy, get mp3's, whatever.

Thus, I don't run it. Networks that do don't seem to be too hurt by it, but I have also had people tell me they appreciate it not being blocked, since some shell providers don't install it either.

It does block some abuse, don't get me wrong-but if you think it will block everything, it won't, definetely. Also, since you can't block non-identd by zline (ie the server would just ignore it), you're still going to burn some bandwith to tell those clients to install it.

gtpnos · Newbie Joined: 05 Aug 2003 Posts: 67 Location: USA

IdentD's real purpose was from my understanding not to allow you to fake your userid forcing you to use the local servers identd server which unless you were root you couldn't change without running your own. Since running your own identd server is possibly and comes pretty much stock with various IRC clients it doesn't serve a purpose anymore. On my servers I always had the ident checker but that's as far as it would go, it wouldn't actually remove you since you would run into the same bandwidth situation as U has mentioned. It's really pointless anymore.
-gtpnos

Jason · Posted: Jan 11, 2004 6:08pm Post subject:

The purpose of ident on IRC is to identify individual users on a multi-user system. For example: A university server or a shell server that has several users (usually at the same time). Without ident, you cannot tell one from the other, as the host is the same for all users. Thus the only way to ban one user, would be to ban them all.

Michael · none Joined: 18 May 2003 Posts: 48

Hold on, hold on. I'm talking about identd, like that of the "Identd" section in the mIRC config. Smile

Jason · Posted: Jan 11, 2004 7:55pm Post subject:

So are we :)

gtpnos · Newbie Joined: 05 Aug 2003 Posts: 67 Location: USA

Michael · none Joined: 18 May 2003 Posts: 48

Alright, Jason Smile

My thoughts: I don't think identd ought to be required basically for the reason I've already said - many ISPs are blocking port 113, and that sort of makes identd a useless program. So, basically what everybody else has said so far.

gtpnos · Newbie Joined: 05 Aug 2003 Posts: 67 Location: USA

Ashen Guest · Guest

I'm a shell provider admin and I mandate identd be installed on all my hosts, simply because without it, one rogue user can get my entire address space glined by doing bad things and changing his ident repeatedly until the ircops of said network get fed up enough to just block my entire IP range.

Identd is irrelavant for home computers, but it's vital for shells and unix/linux/bsd users. It also helps networks fight clonebots......as few bots run their own identd server while they are connecting.

-Ashen

U · Eleet Joined: 18 Jun 2003 Posts: 521 Location: IRC

You can do that WITH identd, by the way (change idents). All having identd does is prevent the ~ from appearing on the front.

Unless you lock the accounts down where the only ident can be the userid, then you're good.

MotherOfSamantha · none Joined: 23 Feb 2004 Posts: 8

Ident on linux is a bitch to set up at least for myself. This is why my irc server doesnt make poeple use ident.

Horizon · Posted: Mar 05, 2004 4:05pm Post subject:

uchat · Idler Joined: 17 Mar 2004 Posts: 335