If you are already using a registered nick, it is very easy to set the email address for your nickname. There are several command styles which will do this. The command remains the same, but your IRC client (IRC program) may not understand some ways of typing it. If you have a problem with one command style, try another.
First you must be identified to your registered nick. Depending on your IRC client, this is done by typing one of the following in your status window (if your IRC client has one):
or
or
NOTE: It is a good idea to type all services commands in the status window (or, if your IRC client does not have a status window, another place which is not a channel or message window) to avoid accidentally showing your password. For example, sending your password to an open channel if you forget the slash (/) in the command.
Under no circumstances should you type /msg nickserv identify password. If you make a typing error, someone with the nick of MickServ, NickSrv, or other similar nicks may receive your password. You could lose your nickname and any privileges associated with it, should the password fall into the hands of someone else.
If you cannot identify to your nick, please remember that passwords are case sensitive. That means that NickServ recognizes upper- and lower-case letters separately, for example "apple", "APPLE" and "aPPLe" would all be different passwords. Please be sure you are typing your password correctly. If you continue to get an error message, please go to #operhelp and wait to be voiced for password help.
After you have identified to your registered nickname, you may then set your email address for it. As before, the command should be done in your status window (if your IRC client has one). The command can be in one of the following formats:
or
or
NOTE: DALnet-provided addresses (ending with "@u.dal.net") will not be permitted.
Within an hour or so, you will receive email from "DALnet User Registration" sent to the address you have set. In this mail you will be told your authorization (AUTH) code and how to use it, to complete your nickname registration.
If your email client supports it, the easiest way to authorize is to click on the Web address (beginning with "http://users.dal.net/cgi-bin/verify.cgi?") in the email. However, if this is not possible for you, then do the following:
The email you were sent contains a command you can use to send the authorization code. If possible, copy this command into the computer's paste-buffer. If you can't do that, write it down carefully on a piece of paper.
Connect to DALnet and (if necessary) change to the appropriate nick.
If you copied the command, paste it in to your IRC client. If you wrote it down, type it in.
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Send the command. You should receive confirmation from NickServ that you have been authorized. (On some IRC clients, this will appear in your status window.)
-NickServ- Mission accomplished! The nick YourNick is fully -NickServ- registered. You now have access to change your nick -NickServ- settings, send memos to other users and use DALnet's -NickServ- registered user web site at http://users.dal.net
If you need to use "/quote nickserv" or "/msg nickserv@services.dal.net", simply copy/paste the rest of the command from your email following the "/nickserv" part of the command.
Should you try to set an AUTH code for a nick which is already fully registered, NickServ will respond that
You may want to change the address associated with your nick. The process is the same as you used to set the email address originally. Please note you will be issued another AUTH code by email from "DALnet User Registration", which must be set in the same way as noted above.
As of 31st October 2000, DALnet is requiring that every registered nickname has a valid email address set. Nicknames without an associated email address will expire at that date. Nicknames which are not completely registered (that is, do not have an email address set) will not have all the privileges associated with a registered nick.
Some of the privileges you have before the nickname is authorized include the following:
You can use the
identify commandYou can use the
set email commandYou can use the
drop commandYou can register a channel
You can log into
http://users.dal.net and create a website athttp://home.dal.net
Privileges not available to a partially registered nickname include the following:
You cannot use MemoServ to send or receive memos
You cannot use the NickServ access list feature (the
access command)These NickServ commands are not available to you:
set enforce ,set url ,set noop ,ghost ,recover andrelease
For information on these commands, please type
The whole purpose of setting an email address for your nick is so that a forgotten password may be sent to you through email. This is a more secure means of obtaining lost passwords than trying to convince a CSop that you are the true owner of the nick. Whenever a password is requested for a nick, it is sent to the email address currently associated with that nick.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to maintain good access security for your email. If your email account is password-protected, using the same password for your email as you used for the nick is not a good idea. Should one password be discovered, chances are other things associated with the same password could also be compromised.
How does this password process work? For nicknames, it is quite an easy process. If you have forgotten your password, you would look for an IRC operator to assist you. This IRC operator will then look at the records for that nick and possibly ask a few questions. If there is something that does not seem to make sense, such as the user having a completely different Internet address from the one in NickServ's files, there will be more questions until the IRC operator is satisfied that you are the real owner of the nickname.
After this, the IRC operator asks NickServ to send the password to the email address set for that nickname. NickServ will automatically get the password and the email address from its database and send out the password. You will usually receive this email message within an hour.
If the request is for a channel password, the IRC operator will again ask questions to determine if you are the true owner of the channel. The email will be sent to the email address set for the founder's nickname. It is a good idea to identify to the founder's nickname before requesting a password for a channel.
By the way, your email address is not revealed to the IRC operator in this process. NickServ handles sending the email automatically.
DALnet's email privacy statement is available at
IRC operators asking NickServ to send passwords to users do not see the email address, since this is an automated process.
Other users will not be able to see your email address, unless you want them to. If you do not do anything about your email address after you have set it, no one will be able to see it. If you do want to show your email address in your visible NickServ information (available with /nickserv info yournick), you can set that up as follows. After identifying for your nickname, type this command:
Should you change your mind and want to remove your email from your visible information, the command is:
As mentioned previously, your email security is your responsibility.
If you do not want to use your actual email address, please use one of the many free accounts available on the web. Please do not use a user@u.dal.net address, since your nick password is required to access your email. Also, please keep your email address setting current. DALnet cannot be responsible for nicknames which have an invalid email address set.
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Question: NickServ tells me that the AUTH code is incorrect. What should I do? Answer: You should first be sure that the number you have entered is correct. This is why copy and paste is recommended whenever possible. It may also be possible that you have changed your email address and are entering the number for the former address. Please read the entire email you receive to be sure that the number you are entering is the AUTH code for that nickname. In setting emails for several nicks, confusion like this could easily happen.
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Question: When I tried to set my email address, I made a typo. What should I do? Answer: As long as it is within 24 hours of the time you registered your nick, or set an email address for your nickname, you can change it. You first identify to your nickname with /nickserv IDENTIFY password. Then you can use /nickserv SET EMAIL to set the correct email address. Please remember that if the original address was not correct, you will not get the first AUTH code from Services. When you receive the email message at the correct address, go ahead and enter the AUTH code as described above.
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Question: Someone is using my half-registered nick. How can I get it back if I can't use the RECOVER or GHOST commands? Answer: Find an IRC operator who will verify that you are the true owner of that nickname. Please enter your AUTH code as soon as possible so you can use the SET ENFORCE, RECOVER and GHOST commands to stop others from using your nickname.
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Question: I didn't get my AUTH code by email. What should I do now? Answer: There are several reasons why this might happen. The first one is that there was a typo in the email address. You can verify what NickServ thinks the address should be by using the SET SHOWEMAIL on command. Check for errors, and then use the SET SHOWEMAIL off to remove your address from public view. Make any corrections with the SET EMAIL command, and then watch your mail for the AUTH code message.
Another reason may be that there is lag in the email message being sent out. If many people have set their email addresses for their nicknames, the queue of messages to be sent may be long. Please wait at least six hours before asking for help.
You may not be setting a valid email address. You must use an email address that actually works. If you do not want to use your official address, please find a free email account on the web. Remember, it is up to you to keep this address active, since that is where any passwords may be sent in the event of you forgetting the password. Also, a DALnet email address is not a valid address for this purpose.
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Question: I think someone has hacked my password to my nick and my email. Answer: Password security is your responsibility.
If you feel your password has been compromised, please go to #operhelp and wait to be voiced by someone who is opped in the channel. Do not respond to any messages from anyone but an op. There is a help document that deals with how to find to an IRC operator while on DALnet. You can access it from http://help.dal.net/docs/.
Here are some instructions for good password security:
Choose a password that is at least seven characters long and contains both upper- and lower-case letters as well as some numbers.
Never type in Services commands in a channel window, instead use another window (for example, the status window if your IRC client has one).
Do not script passwords on your computer, since others may gain access with or without your knowledge.
If you identify to your nickname while in a cybercafe, be sure that no one else can see your password.
Never share passwords with anyone and be aware that no one from DALnet will message you for your password. The only time you may be asked about a password is by a CSop
you have approached for password help.