Important News For Barliman's Chat Regulars
Demosthenes @ 5:15 pm EST

This evening we'll be upgrading TheOneRing.net's IRC server software. Most of the changes will be invisible to chatters, but will result in a better, more reliable chatting experience for everyone. We strongly encourage you to take the time to acquaint yourself with these new features by reading through our brand new chat FAQ.

One change in particular will impact on everyone who has a registered nickname. This is a significant change to the registration process that regular chatters must be aware of.

New e-mail requirement for nickserv registration

Registering a nickname allows you to reserve a nickname for your own exclusive use. As regulars know, this is invaluable for maintaining a personal identity on the TORn IRC server.

In the past, registering a nickname has not required an e-mail field. However, with the server upgrade this will change and everyone - including those with currently registered nicknames - will need to add an e-mail address to their registration.

You will be prompted by Nickserv once the upgrade has been completed. You do not need to do anything until then, and you don't need to be there for the upgrade. You will be prompted the next time you log on.

Also, please note that your nickname is not being deregistered, and that no-one will be able to steal it during the changeover. This upgrade merely adds a requirement for an e-mail field. Even people who already have set an e-mail address (which until now has been optional) will need to go through this process and re-set it.

Why an e-mail address is very useful!

This is because the software that we use to power our IRC Services (IRCServices v5) - which includes nickserv - requires that all registered users submit a valid e-mail address in order that very useful and exciting functionality such as memo-forwarding and password-retrieval can be used.

If you really do not want to submit an e-mail address, there is no obligation for you to register your nickname at all. Needless to say, TORn treats all the private data of its users (e-mail addresses, memos, etc.) with the utmost privacy and respect - the only e-mail you will ever receive from us via your registered e-mail address will be that which you request yourself by interacting with services (with the proviso of a serious emergency where we (TORn Senior Staff/IRC Operators) might need to personally contact you specifically, in the absence of any other contact details).

Steps to re-registering under the new sytem

So how do currently registered users adapt to this new system and re-confirm their nickname registration? This step-by-step guide shows you how. After the changeover, when you login, you'll be prompted by nickserv as normal for your password, like this:

NickServ- This nickname is registered and protected. If it is your nickname, type /msg NickServ IDENTIFY password. Otherwise, please choose a different nickname.

If you have a kill set on your nick, you will also receive a warning like this:

NickServ- If you do not change within 20 seconds, I will change your nickname.

Enter your password as per normal:

/msg nickserv register password

Once you've done that, you'll receive this new message from Nickserv:

NickServ- You must set an E-mail address for your nickname before you continue using it. Please set one now with the command: /msg NickServ SET EMAIL address

If you're familiar with nickserv operations, this shouldn't be too difficult. However, if you have a kill on your nick, you'll again receive a warning that your nick will be changed if you don't perform the operation quickly. If you're too slow, Nickserv will forcibly alter your nick to something like Guest2097645. If it happens to you, simply change your nick back to your registered nick and start over.

So, now you must swap your chosen e-mail - and it's very important that you use a valid one - for address. For example, I would type:

/msg NickServ SET EMAIL demosthenes@theonering.net

Please do not use my address! You must, must, MUST use one of your own! Did I say must enough?

Once you've done that, Nickserv will spit a message somewhat like this back at you:

NickServ- An authorization code for your nickname has been sent to demosthenes@theonering.net.

NickServ- When you receive this message, type /msg NickServ AUTH code (replace code with the authorization code in the message) to complete your E-mail address change.

NickServ- Please note that you will not be able to continue using your nickname unless you complete the change.

Now, to ensure that your e-mail address is valid, you'll receive a message containing a nine-digit authorization code at the e-mail address you gave. You'll have to retreive this from your e-mail before you can finish the registration process.

When you've retrieved your code from your e-mail inbox, simply follow the instructions and type:

/msg nickserv auth code

Simply replace code in the above command with the nine-digit authorization code given in the E-mail message. For example, if I was to receive an auth code of 923560279, I would type:

/msg nickserv auth 923560279

The only complication will be if you have your nick changed because you have a kill set. In this case, once you've received your code via e-mail, change your nick back to your registered nickname, then type in the authorisation code. Note that in this case you do not need to identify before typing in the auth code, you can type the code in straight away as directed in the e-mail from Barliman's IRC Services and as shown above.

If you follow these steps, your chosen nickname should now be registered under the new system!

And be sure to check out all the new goodies in our brand new chat FAQ.