Centrally Managed IRC Networks

Talrias · Lurker Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 163 Location: :noitacoL

Hello everyone,

I've recently started up an IRC network (Starglade, irc.starglade.org) and we have decided to manage the network in rather a different way to what many people are used to. Instead of allowing the actual owner of the server to choose the irc opers (staff) for the servers, the configuration files are centrally managed - network admins create the configuration files, the o:lines, the motd and other such files and update them across the network, using SSH. The owner of the server is not permitted to add to, delete from or modify the configuration files.

This obviously differs from most networks as the opers on a particular server are up to the admin for that server. Thus; conflicts and politics would play a greater role in more decentralised networks, an oper on one server might not like an oper on another, etc. etc.. By running the network centrally and running IRC as a network, rather than a group of servers, this will hopefully eliminate any problems that might arise between staff members.

What are other people's thoughts on this?

kennyt-bleh · Guest

That's how buzzpot.net does it. We have our configs partially controlled from the web and propogate the files whenever they change. DNS works this way too.

al5001 · Lurker Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 181 Location: Canada

Why not implement an OperServ command to oper up with?

/msg operserv oper nick password

Have some backup olines on each server incase services go down.

Talrias · Lurker Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 163 Location: :noitacoL

Horizon · Posted: Mar 06, 2004 6:54pm Post subject:

Hate to burst your bubble but The FreeNode network has been doing that for years to the best of my knowlege.

Talrias · Lurker Joined: 16 Feb 2004 Posts: 163 Location: :noitacoL

Jason · Posted: Mar 06, 2004 9:27pm Post subject:

JFYI - We used this on SuperChat around 1998, it was called network operators. We got rid of server opers - so that an oper was an oper on any and all servers. The logic was to build oper loyalty towards the network rather than factions around individual servers. It got rid of a lot of the usual power struggles, and fighting between opers of different servers. Everyone was on the same team.

al5001 · Lurker Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 181 Location: Canada

OperServ on Conferenceroom services (enterprise edition) has support for /os oper login password, just as I stated.

I believe this feature would be greatly beneficial incase servers on the network go down, you can still oper up on the ones that are up.

Unfortunately, if services go down, you cannot oper on remote servers except the one(s) you have an oline on.

RustyNet · Guest

[Edited by SearchIRC. Please do not spam on this thread. Post about new networks in Network Announcements. Thank you.]

smbclient · none Joined: 07 Feb 2004 Posts: 1

I personally think having a centralized managed IRC Network would sure help put an end to alot of politics among users and operators. I totally agree with you on this, good example for just networking period say in a corporate office enviroment take Windows Active Directory Schema for an example or even the way how DNS is setup and structured across the internet. Without authority or good management and provisioning everything would fall apart.

Ib3N · Lurker Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 157 Location: ChatSpike

Chatspike has been doing it that way since we started.
and IMO, it works alot better, and creates alot bigger sence of loyalty to the net as stated. We promote staff from the users, and let them decide alot through polls, so in theory, its a users network, for users, by users Wink

(ignore the cliche.. hehe)

back to the point.. as a result, we have a pretty tight comeradeship between the staff and users, and that saves us ircops alot of hassle really.

Highly reccomended way of management Smile

..as far as I know, we also have the strictest linking policy too.
(www.chatspike.net for those of you wondering..)