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An IRC network is a collection of servers connected together. When you log onto an IRC network, you are connecting to one of the servers on that network. Since all the servers are connected to each other you are connected to all the other users even though they may not be connected to the same server as you. All servers on a network share and have access to the same information. Each server knows who is on the network, what channel that user is on, and which server the user is on as well. Below is a graphical depiction of a typical IRC network.



IRC Networks vary in size. Smaller ones may have as few as 2 servers and less than 100 users. Others, like EFnet, can have over 100 servers and more than 20,000 users!

There are many IRC networks. Each network is a separate entity unto itself. One network DOES NOT connect to another network. The networks DO NOT share common servers. You CANNOT talk to a user that is not on the same network as you. If your friend is on the #newbies channel on EFnet, and you are on the #newbies channel on DALnet, you cannot talk to him because he is on a DIFFERENT network. Channels with the same names on the different networks ARE NOT the same channels, even though they have the same name. So, if you want to meet a friend on a particular channel, make sure you are both on the same Network.


So, What's a Netsplit?
A netsplit is a disconnection of one server from another. They occur for various reasons, such as server crashes or loss of the network link between servers. Due to the structure of the typical network, when one server becomes disconnected from another server, that server, and everything connected to it, will become isolated from the other servers and everything connected to them. Look at the typical network structure shown above. If one server delinks from another server, you get isolated network parts. What you actually end up with is 2 or more seperate networks. One side of the split will no longer know what is happening on the other side.

So what happens when a netsplit occurs? How do you know and what do you see when it does? Let's say you are on the #newbies channel with several other users. Let's say half the users are on one server and the other half are on a different server. A netsplit occurs and the two servers are no longer connected. What you will see is the users on the other server appearing to have quit and logged off the network. Instead of the normal quit message, you will see something like this:

*** Buster has quit IRC (irc.eskimo.com newnet.iglou.com)

The message in parentheses will show a couple of server names, which are the servers that have split. The users on that other server will see the same thing, except it will appear to THEM that YOU and all the other users on your server have quit and logged off the network. In actuality, no one has quit IRC. It's just that the channel has become "split" into 2 channels which can no longer see each other. The channel continues to exist on both sides of the split, but they are no longer the same channel. Just like they were on 2 different networks. When the 2 servers reconnect, the channel is recombined into one channel again. It will appear to the users on each side of the split as if the other users are joining the channel in a normal fashion. There are a lot of other ramifications of netsplits associated with the rejoining of the two split servers such as serverops, network resync, and possible nick collides, but you'll learn more about that stuff as your knowledge of IRC increases.


So, What Can I Do About Netsplits?
There is nothing you can personally do to prevent or fix a netsplit. It's a network problem and you just have to ride it out until the servers rejoin. Of course, if you wanted to get back together with your friends on the other side of the netsplit, you could quit the server you are on and log onto the server they are on. What you end up doing is joining the server on the other side of the split. Unless it's a really long split time, it's usually best to just wait a few minutes until the servers rejoin. It usually isn't very long.

Existing IRC networks all use what is called a Linear or Series network structure. All the servers are connected in a row. If one delinks, it splits the network into isolated parts. A potential method of dealing with netsplits is to structure the network differently. The proposed network structure is called a Meshed or Distributed network structure. In this system, servers would have links to several other servers. If the link to one server were to be interrupted, it would still be able to communicate with that server through another server. The Internet itself is a Distributed Network. If one part of the World Wide Web goes down, an alternate link is there to maintain contact with the rest of the Net. Here is a graphic depiction of a Distributed network.


As you can see, all the servers are interconnected in a meshed fashion. Servers are interlinked in such a way that if one or even two links are broken to a server, there is another link back to that server through another server. Loss of one link to a server is replaced by another link through an alternate path. The Distrubuted network is not perfect. If all the links from a server go down, a netsplit will still occur. However, the entire network will not be affected. Why arn't IRC networks linked this way now? I don't really know. Possibly the expense... after all, IRC is a voluntary thing. Server administrators don't get paid, and they dump a LOT of their own money and time into building, running and maintaining their servers.

Network Services
What Are They and What Can They Do for You?
Network Services are one of the best innovations on IRC. They usually consist of two basic services, Chanserv and Nickserv. Many networks also run Memoserv in conjunction with Nickserv. The services vary in form, implementation, and complexity from network to network, but their function is still the same. They are run by the various Networks as stand-alone servers, and usually run unobtrusively in the background. You don't have to use the services, but they certainly make IRCing safer and relatively hassle free. Dalnet was the first major network to run full blown services. Undernet only runs Chanserv and EFnet doesn't run any services. Most of the smaller IRC Networks have some form of Network services, which makes them very attractive alternatives to the major IRC Networks. NOTE: When you register a channel or nick, it is registered only on that specific network, NOT on any other network.

Chanserv allows a user to Register a channel on IRC. Chanserv has virtually eliminated channel takeovers. A registered channel is protected so that no one can takeover the channel. The channel owner (the person who registered it with Chanserv) can specify who gets ops by designating an ops list, set channel topic, modes, and ban lists, and a few other things. All this will be maintained and enforced by Chanserv unless the channel owner changes them. NOTE: On most networks, the registration will expire if the channel is not used for some extended time period ranging from 14 to 30 days.

Nickserv allows a user to Register their IRC nickname. Once registered, no one else can use the nick. The nick is identified by logon address and is password protected. If someone logs on with your nick while you are not on line, Nickserv checks their address, and if it does not match your stored hostmask (logon address), it warns the user that they are using a registered nick and that they must change to another nick or be "killed" by Services. On Networks with Memoserv, a registered nick can send and receive memos to other registered users (sort of like IRC email). NOTE: On most networks, the registration will expire if the nick is not used for some extended time period ranging from 14 to 30 days.

To check for the presence of Chanserv after joining a Network, type in /msg Chanserv help. To check for Nickserv, type in /msg Nickserv help. This will work on most IRC Networks with Services. Detailed information will be sent to you by the Network server. Follow the instructions for further information. For more info on available Services on several popular IRC Networks, Click Here.