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INFORMATIONAL
Errata Exist
Network Working Group                                            C. KaltRequest for Comments: 2812                                    April 2000Updates:1459Category: InformationalInternet Relay Chat: Client ProtocolStatus of this Memo   This memo provides information for the Internet community.  It does   not specify an Internet standard of any kind.  Distribution of this   memo is unlimited.Copyright Notice   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2000).  All Rights Reserved.IESG NOTE:   The IRC protocol itself enables several possibilities of transferring   data between clients, and just like with other transfer mechanisms   like email, the receiver of the data has to be careful about how the   data is handled. For more information on security issues with the IRC   protocol, see for examplehttp://www.irchelp.org/irchelp/security/.Abstract   The IRC (Internet Relay Chat) protocol is for use with text based   conferencing; the simplest client being any socket program capable of   connecting to the server.   This document defines the Client Protocol, and assumes that the   reader is familiar with the IRC Architecture [IRC-ARCH].Table of Contents1.  Labels .....................................................31.1  Servers ................................................31.2  Clients ................................................31.2.1  Users .............................................41.2.1.1  Operators ....................................41.2.2  Services ..........................................41.3  Channels ...............................................42.  The IRC Client Specification ...............................52.1  Overview ...............................................52.2  Character codes ........................................52.3  Messages ...............................................5Kalt                         Informational                      [Page 1]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20002.3.1  Message format in Augmented BNF ...................62.4  Numeric replies ........................................82.5  Wildcard expressions ...................................93.  Message Details ............................................93.1  Connection Registration ................................103.1.1  Password message ..................................103.1.2  Nick message ......................................103.1.3  User message ......................................113.1.4  Oper message ......................................123.1.5  User mode message .................................123.1.6  Service message ...................................133.1.7  Quit ..............................................143.1.8  Squit .............................................153.2  Channel operations .....................................153.2.1  Join message ......................................163.2.2  Part message ......................................173.2.3  Channel mode message ..............................183.2.4  Topic message .....................................193.2.5  Names message .....................................203.2.6  List message ......................................213.2.7  Invite message ....................................213.2.8  Kick command ......................................223.3  Sending messages .......................................233.3.1  Private messages ..................................233.3.2  Notice ............................................243.4  Server queries and commands ............................253.4.1  Motd message ......................................253.4.2  Lusers message ....................................253.4.3  Version message ...................................263.4.4  Stats message .....................................263.4.5  Links message .....................................273.4.6  Time message ......................................283.4.7  Connect message ...................................283.4.8  Trace message .....................................293.4.9  Admin command .....................................303.4.10 Info command ......................................313.5  Service Query and Commands .............................313.5.1  Servlist message ..................................313.5.2  Squery ............................................323.6  User based queries .....................................323.6.1  Who query .........................................323.6.2  Whois query .......................................333.6.3  Whowas ............................................343.7  Miscellaneous messages .................................343.7.1  Kill message ......................................353.7.2  Ping message ......................................363.7.3  Pong message ......................................373.7.4  Error .............................................37Kalt                         Informational                      [Page 2]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20004.  Optional features ..........................................384.1  Away ...................................................384.2  Rehash message .........................................394.3  Die message ............................................394.4  Restart message ........................................404.5  Summon message .........................................404.6  Users ..................................................414.7  Operwall message .......................................414.8  Userhost message .......................................424.9  Ison message ...........................................425.  Replies ....................................................435.1  Command responses ......................................435.2  Error Replies ..........................................535.3  Reserved numerics ......................................596.  Current implementations ....................................607.  Current problems ...........................................607.1  Nicknames ..............................................607.2  Limitation of wildcards ................................617.3  Security considerations ................................618.  Current support and availability ...........................619.  Acknowledgements ...........................................6110.  References ................................................6211.  Author's Address ..........................................6212.  Full Copyright Statement ..................................631. Labels   This section defines the identifiers used for the various components   of the IRC protocol.1.1 Servers   Servers are uniquely identified by their name, which has a maximum   length of sixty three (63) characters.  See the protocol grammar   rules (section 2.3.1) for what may and may not be used in a server   name.1.2 Clients   For each client all servers MUST have the following information: a   netwide unique identifier (whose format depends on the type of   client) and the server which introduced the client.Kalt                         Informational                      [Page 3]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20001.2.1 Users   Each user is distinguished from other users by a unique nickname   having a maximum length of nine (9) characters.  See the protocol   grammar rules (section 2.3.1) for what may and may not be used in a   nickname.   While the maximum length is limited to nine characters, clients   SHOULD accept longer strings as they may become used in future   evolutions of the protocol.1.2.1.1 Operators   To allow a reasonable amount of order to be kept within the IRC   network, a special class of users (operators) is allowed to perform   general maintenance functions on the network.  Although the powers   granted to an operator can be considered as 'dangerous', they are   nonetheless often necessary.  Operators SHOULD be able to perform   basic network tasks such as disconnecting and reconnecting servers as   needed.  In recognition of this need, the protocol discussed herein   provides for operators only to be able to perform such functions.   See sections3.1.8 (SQUIT) and 3.4.7 (CONNECT).   A more controversial power of operators is the ability to remove a   user from the connected network by 'force', i.e., operators are able   to close the connection between any client and server.  The   justification for this is very delicate since its abuse is both   destructive and annoying, and its benefits close to inexistent.  For   further details on this type of action, seesection 3.7.1 (KILL).1.2.2 Services   Each service is distinguished from other services by a service name   composed of a nickname and a server name.  As for users, the nickname   has a maximum length of nine (9) characters.  See the protocol   grammar rules (section 2.3.1) for what may and may not be used in a   nickname.1.3 Channels   Channels names are strings (beginning with a '&', '#', '+' or '!'   character) of length up to fifty (50) characters.  Apart from the   requirement that the first character is either '&', '#', '+' or '!',   the only restriction on a channel name is that it SHALL NOT contain   any spaces (' '), a control G (^G or ASCII 7), a comma (',').  Space   is used as parameter separator and command is used as a list item   separator by the protocol).  A colon (':') can also be used as a   delimiter for the channel mask.  Channel names are case insensitive.Kalt                         Informational                      [Page 4]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   See the protocol grammar rules (section 2.3.1) for the exact syntax   of a channel name.   Each prefix characterizes a different channel type.  The definition   of the channel types is not relevant to the client-server protocol   and thus it is beyond the scope of this document.  More details can   be found in "Internet Relay Chat: Channel Management" [IRC-CHAN].2. The IRC Client Specification2.1 Overview   The protocol as described herein is for use only with client to   server connections when the client registers as a user.2.2 Character codes   No specific character set is specified. The protocol is based on a   set of codes which are composed of eight (8) bits, making up an   octet.  Each message may be composed of any number of these octets;   however, some octet values are used for control codes, which act as   message delimiters.   Regardless of being an 8-bit protocol, the delimiters and keywords   are such that protocol is mostly usable from US-ASCII terminal and a   telnet connection.   Because of IRC's Scandinavian origin, the characters {}|^ are   considered to be the lower case equivalents of the characters []\~,   respectively. This is a critical issue when determining the   equivalence of two nicknames or channel names.2.3 Messages   Servers and clients send each other messages, which may or may not   generate a reply.  If the message contains a valid command, as   described in later sections, the client should expect a reply as   specified but it is not advised to wait forever for the reply; client   to server and server to server communication is essentially   asynchronous by nature.   Each IRC message may consist of up to three main parts: the prefix   (OPTIONAL), the command, and the command parameters (maximum of   fifteen (15)).  The prefix, command, and all parameters are separated   by one ASCII space character (0x20) each.Kalt                         Informational                      [Page 5]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   The presence of a prefix is indicated with a single leading ASCII   colon character (':', 0x3b), which MUST be the first character of the   message itself.  There MUST be NO gap (whitespace) between the colon   and the prefix.  The prefix is used by servers to indicate the true   origin of the message.  If the prefix is missing from the message, it   is assumed to have originated from the connection from which it was   received from.  Clients SHOULD NOT use a prefix when sending a   message; if they use one, the only valid prefix is the registered   nickname associated with the client.   The command MUST either be a valid IRC command or a three (3) digit   number represented in ASCII text.   IRC messages are always lines of characters terminated with a CR-LF   (Carriage Return - Line Feed) pair, and these messages SHALL NOT   exceed 512 characters in length, counting all characters including   the trailing CR-LF. Thus, there are 510 characters maximum allowed   for the command and its parameters.  There is no provision for   continuation of message lines.  Seesection 6 for more details about   current implementations.2.3.1 Message format in Augmented BNF   The protocol messages must be extracted from the contiguous stream of   octets.  The current solution is to designate two characters, CR and   LF, as message separators.  Empty messages are silently ignored,   which permits use of the sequence CR-LF between messages without   extra problems.   The extracted message is parsed into the components <prefix>,   <command> and list of parameters (<params>).    The Augmented BNF representation for this is:    message    =  [ ":" prefix SPACE ] command [ params ] crlf    prefix     =  servername / ( nickname [ [ "!" user ] "@" host ] )    command    =  1*letter / 3digit    params     =  *14( SPACE middle ) [ SPACE ":" trailing ]               =/ 14( SPACE middle ) [ SPACE [ ":" ] trailing ]    nospcrlfcl =  %x01-09 / %x0B-0C / %x0E-1F / %x21-39 / %x3B-FF                    ; any octet except NUL, CR, LF, " " and ":"    middle     =  nospcrlfcl *( ":" / nospcrlfcl )    trailing   =  *( ":" / " " / nospcrlfcl )    SPACE      =  %x20        ; space character    crlf       =  %x0D %x0A   ; "carriage return" "linefeed"Kalt                         Informational                      [Page 6]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   NOTES:      1) After extracting the parameter list, all parameters are equal         whether matched by <middle> or <trailing>. <trailing> is just a         syntactic trick to allow SPACE within the parameter.      2) The NUL (%x00) character is not special in message framing, and         basically could end up inside a parameter, but it would cause         extra complexities in normal C string handling. Therefore, NUL         is not allowed within messages.   Most protocol messages specify additional semantics and syntax for   the extracted parameter strings dictated by their position in the   list.  For example, many server commands will assume that the first   parameter after the command is the list of targets, which can be   described with:  target     =  nickname / server  msgtarget  =  msgto *( "," msgto )  msgto      =  channel / ( user [ "%" host ] "@" servername )  msgto      =/ ( user "%" host ) / targetmask  msgto      =/ nickname / ( nickname "!" user "@" host )  channel    =  ( "#" / "+" / ( "!" channelid ) / "&" ) chanstring                [ ":" chanstring ]  servername =  hostname  host       =  hostname / hostaddr  hostname   =  shortname *( "." shortname )  shortname  =  ( letter / digit ) *( letter / digit / "-" )                *( letter / digit )                  ; as specified inRFC 1123 [HNAME]  hostaddr   =  ip4addr / ip6addr  ip4addr    =  1*3digit "." 1*3digit "." 1*3digit "." 1*3digit  ip6addr    =  1*hexdigit 7( ":" 1*hexdigit )  ip6addr    =/ "0:0:0:0:0:" ( "0" / "FFFF" ) ":" ip4addr  nickname   =  ( letter / special ) *8( letter / digit / special / "-" )  targetmask =  ( "$" / "#" ) mask                  ; see details on allowed masks insection 3.3.1  chanstring =  %x01-07 / %x08-09 / %x0B-0C / %x0E-1F / %x21-2B  chanstring =/ %x2D-39 / %x3B-FF                  ; any octet except NUL, BELL, CR, LF, " ", "," and ":"  channelid  = 5( %x41-5A / digit )   ; 5( A-Z / 0-9 )Kalt                         Informational                      [Page 7]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000  Other parameter syntaxes are:  user       =  1*( %x01-09 / %x0B-0C / %x0E-1F / %x21-3F / %x41-FF )                  ; any octet except NUL, CR, LF, " " and "@"  key        =  1*23( %x01-05 / %x07-08 / %x0C / %x0E-1F / %x21-7F )                  ; any 7-bit US_ASCII character,                  ; except NUL, CR, LF, FF, h/v TABs, and " "  letter     =  %x41-5A / %x61-7A       ; A-Z / a-z  digit      =  %x30-39                 ; 0-9  hexdigit   =  digit / "A" / "B" / "C" / "D" / "E" / "F"  special    =  %x5B-60 / %x7B-7D                   ; "[", "]", "\", "`", "_", "^", "{", "|", "}"  NOTES:      1) The <hostaddr> syntax is given here for the sole purpose of         indicating the format to follow for IP addresses.  This         reflects the fact that the only available implementations of         this protocol uses TCP/IP as underlying network protocol but is         not meant to prevent other protocols to be used.      2) <hostname> has a maximum length of 63 characters.  This is a         limitation of the protocol as internet hostnames (in         particular) can be longer.  Such restriction is necessary         because IRC messages are limited to 512 characters in length.         Clients connecting from a host which name is longer than 63         characters are registered using the host (numeric) address         instead of the host name.      3) Some parameters used in the following sections of this         documents are not defined here as there is nothing specific         about them besides the name that is used for convenience.         These parameters follow the general syntax defined for         <params>.2.4 Numeric replies   Most of the messages sent to the server generate a reply of some   sort.  The most common reply is the numeric reply, used for both   errors and normal replies.  The numeric reply MUST be sent as one   message consisting of the sender prefix, the three-digit numeric, and   the target of the reply.  A numeric reply is not allowed to originate   from a client. In all other respects, a numeric reply is just like a   normal message, except that the keyword is made up of 3 numeric   digits rather than a string of letters.  A list of different replies   is supplied insection 5 (Replies).Kalt                         Informational                      [Page 8]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20002.5 Wildcard expressions   When wildcards are allowed in a string, it is referred as a "mask".   For string matching purposes, the protocol allows the use of two   special characters: '?' (%x3F) to match one and only one character,   and '*' (%x2A) to match any number of any characters.  These two   characters can be escaped using the character '\' (%x5C).   The Augmented BNF syntax for this is:    mask       =  *( nowild / noesc wildone / noesc wildmany )    wildone    =  %x3F    wildmany   =  %x2A    nowild     =  %x01-29 / %x2B-3E / %x40-FF                    ; any octet except NUL, "*", "?"    noesc      =  %x01-5B / %x5D-FF                    ; any octet except NUL and "\"    matchone   =  %x01-FF                    ; matches wildone    matchmany  =  *matchone                    ; matches wildmany   Examples:   a?c         ; Matches any string of 3 characters in length starting               with "a" and ending with "c"   a*c         ; Matches any string of at least 2 characters in length               starting with "a" and ending with "c"3. Message Details   On the following pages there are descriptions of each message   recognized by the IRC server and client.  All commands described in   this section MUST be implemented by any server for this protocol.   Where the reply ERR_NOSUCHSERVER is returned, it means that the   target of the message could not be found.  The server MUST NOT send   any other replies after this error for that command.   The server to which a client is connected is required to parse the   complete message, and return any appropriate errors.   If multiple parameters is presented, then each MUST be checked for   validity and appropriate responses MUST be sent back to the client.   In the case of incorrect messages which use parameter lists with   comma as an item separator, a reply MUST be sent for each item.Kalt                         Informational                      [Page 9]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20003.1 Connection Registration   The commands described here are used to register a connection with an   IRC server as a user as well as to correctly disconnect.   A "PASS" command is not required for a client connection to be   registered, but it MUST precede the latter of the NICK/USER   combination (for a user connection) or the SERVICE command (for a   service connection). The RECOMMENDED order for a client to register   is as follows:                           1. Pass message           2. Nick message                 2. Service message           3. User message   Upon success, the client will receive an RPL_WELCOME (for users) or   RPL_YOURESERVICE (for services) message indicating that the   connection is now registered and known the to the entire IRC network.   The reply message MUST contain the full client identifier upon which   it was registered.3.1.1 Password message      Command: PASS   Parameters: <password>   The PASS command is used to set a 'connection password'.  The   optional password can and MUST be set before any attempt to register   the connection is made.  Currently this requires that user send a   PASS command before sending the NICK/USER combination.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS              ERR_ALREADYREGISTRED   Example:           PASS secretpasswordhere3.1.2 Nick message      Command: NICK   Parameters: <nickname>   NICK command is used to give user a nickname or change the existing   one.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 10]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NONICKNAMEGIVEN             ERR_ERRONEUSNICKNAME           ERR_NICKNAMEINUSE               ERR_NICKCOLLISION           ERR_UNAVAILRESOURCE             ERR_RESTRICTED   Examples:   NICK Wiz                ; Introducing new nick "Wiz" if session is                           still unregistered, or user changing his                           nickname to "Wiz"   :WiZ!jto@tolsun.oulu.fi NICK Kilroy                           ; Server telling that WiZ changed his                           nickname to Kilroy.3.1.3 User message      Command: USER   Parameters: <user> <mode> <unused> <realname>   The USER command is used at the beginning of connection to specify   the username, hostname and realname of a new user.   The <mode> parameter should be a numeric, and can be used to   automatically set user modes when registering with the server.  This   parameter is a bitmask, with only 2 bits having any signification: if   the bit 2 is set, the user mode 'w' will be set and if the bit 3 is   set, the user mode 'i' will be set.  (SeeSection 3.1.5 "User   Modes").   The <realname> may contain space characters.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS              ERR_ALREADYREGISTRED   Example:   USER guest 0 * :Ronnie Reagan   ; User registering themselves with a                                   username of "guest" and real name                                   "Ronnie Reagan".   USER guest 8 * :Ronnie Reagan   ; User registering themselves with a                                   username of "guest" and real name                                   "Ronnie Reagan", and asking to be set                                   invisible.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 11]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20003.1.4 Oper message      Command: OPER   Parameters: <name> <password>   A normal user uses the OPER command to obtain operator privileges.   The combination of <name> and <password> are REQUIRED to gain   Operator privileges.  Upon success, the user will receive a MODE   message (seesection 3.1.5) indicating the new user modes.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS              RPL_YOUREOPER           ERR_NOOPERHOST                  ERR_PASSWDMISMATCH   Example:   OPER foo bar                    ; Attempt to register as an operator                                   using a username of "foo" and "bar"                                   as the password.3.1.5 User mode message      Command: MODE   Parameters: <nickname>               *( ( "+" / "-" ) *( "i" / "w" / "o" / "O" / "r" ) )   The user MODE's are typically changes which affect either how the   client is seen by others or what 'extra' messages the client is sent.   A user MODE command MUST only be accepted if both the sender of the   message and the nickname given as a parameter are both the same.  If   no other parameter is given, then the server will return the current   settings for the nick.      The available modes are as follows:           a - user is flagged as away;           i - marks a users as invisible;           w - user receives wallops;           r - restricted user connection;           o - operator flag;           O - local operator flag;           s - marks a user for receipt of server notices.   Additional modes may be available later on.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 12]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   The flag 'a' SHALL NOT be toggled by the user using the MODE command,   instead use of the AWAY command is REQUIRED.   If a user attempts to make themselves an operator using the "+o" or   "+O" flag, the attempt SHOULD be ignored as users could bypass the   authentication mechanisms of the OPER command.  There is no   restriction, however, on anyone `deopping' themselves (using "-o" or   "-O").   On the other hand, if a user attempts to make themselves unrestricted   using the "-r" flag, the attempt SHOULD be ignored.  There is no   restriction, however, on anyone `deopping' themselves (using "+r").   This flag is typically set by the server upon connection for   administrative reasons.  While the restrictions imposed are left up   to the implementation, it is typical that a restricted user not be   allowed to change nicknames, nor make use of the channel operator   status on channels.   The flag 's' is obsolete but MAY still be used.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS              ERR_USERSDONTMATCH           ERR_UMODEUNKNOWNFLAG            RPL_UMODEIS   Examples:   MODE WiZ -w                     ; Command by WiZ to turn off                                   reception of WALLOPS messages.   MODE Angel +i                   ; Command from Angel to make herself                                   invisible.   MODE WiZ -o                     ; WiZ 'deopping' (removing operator                                   status).3.1.6 Service message      Command: SERVICE   Parameters: <nickname> <reserved> <distribution> <type>               <reserved> <info>   The SERVICE command to register a new service.  Command parameters   specify the service nickname, distribution, type and info of a new   service.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 13]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   The <distribution> parameter is used to specify the visibility of a   service.  The service may only be known to servers which have a name   matching the distribution.  For a matching server to have knowledge   of the service, the network path between that server and the server   on which the service is connected MUST be composed of servers which   names all match the mask.   The <type> parameter is currently reserved for future usage.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_ALREADYREGISTRED            ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS           ERR_ERRONEUSNICKNAME           RPL_YOURESERVICE                RPL_YOURHOST           RPL_MYINFO   Example:   SERVICE dict * *.fr 0 0 :French Dictionary ; Service registering                                   itself with a name of "dict".  This                                   service will only be available on                                   servers which name matches "*.fr".3.1.7 Quit      Command: QUIT   Parameters: [ <Quit Message> ]   A client session is terminated with a quit message.  The server   acknowledges this by sending an ERROR message to the client.   Numeric Replies:           None.   Example:   QUIT :Gone to have lunch        ; Preferred message format.   :syrk!kalt@millennium.stealth.net QUIT :Gone to have lunch ; User                                   syrk has quit IRC to have lunch.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 14]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20003.1.8 Squit      Command: SQUIT   Parameters: <server> <comment>   The SQUIT command is available only to operators.  It is used to   disconnect server links.  Also servers can generate SQUIT messages on   error conditions.  A SQUIT message may also target a remote server   connection.  In this case, the SQUIT message will simply be sent to   the remote server without affecting the servers in between the   operator and the remote server.   The <comment> SHOULD be supplied by all operators who execute a SQUIT   for a remote server.  The server ordered to disconnect its peer   generates a WALLOPS message with <comment> included, so that other   users may be aware of the reason of this action.   Numeric replies:           ERR_NOPRIVILEGES                ERR_NOSUCHSERVER           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS   Examples:   SQUIT tolsun.oulu.fi :Bad Link ?  ; Command to uplink of the server                                   tolson.oulu.fi to terminate its                                   connection with comment "Bad Link".   :Trillian SQUIT cm22.eng.umd.edu :Server out of control ; Command                                   from Trillian from to disconnect                                   "cm22.eng.umd.edu" from the net with                                   comment "Server out of control".3.2 Channel operations   This group of messages is concerned with manipulating channels, their   properties (channel modes), and their contents (typically users).   For this reason, these messages SHALL NOT be made available to   services.   All of these messages are requests which will or will not be granted   by the server.  The server MUST send a reply informing the user   whether the request was granted, denied or generated an error.  When   the server grants the request, the message is typically sent back   (eventually reformatted) to the user with the prefix set to the user   itself.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 15]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   The rules governing how channels are managed are enforced by the   servers.  These rules are beyond the scope of this document.  More   details are found in "Internet Relay Chat: Channel Management" [IRC-   CHAN].3.2.1 Join message      Command: JOIN   Parameters: ( <channel> *( "," <channel> ) [ <key> *( "," <key> ) ] )               / "0"   The JOIN command is used by a user to request to start listening to   the specific channel.  Servers MUST be able to parse arguments in the   form of a list of target, but SHOULD NOT use lists when sending JOIN   messages to clients.   Once a user has joined a channel, he receives information about   all commands his server receives affecting the channel.  This   includes JOIN, MODE, KICK, PART, QUIT and of course PRIVMSG/NOTICE.   This allows channel members to keep track of the other channel   members, as well as channel modes.   If a JOIN is successful, the user receives a JOIN message as   confirmation and is then sent the channel's topic (using RPL_TOPIC) and   the list of users who are on the channel (using RPL_NAMREPLY), which   MUST include the user joining.   Note that this message accepts a special argument ("0"), which is   a special request to leave all channels the user is currently a member   of.  The server will process this message as if the user had sent   a PART command (SeeSection 3.2.2) for each channel he is a member   of.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS              ERR_BANNEDFROMCHAN           ERR_INVITEONLYCHAN              ERR_BADCHANNELKEY           ERR_CHANNELISFULL               ERR_BADCHANMASK           ERR_NOSUCHCHANNEL               ERR_TOOMANYCHANNELS           ERR_TOOMANYTARGETS              ERR_UNAVAILRESOURCE           RPL_TOPIC   Examples:   JOIN #foobar                    ; Command to join channel #foobar.   JOIN &foo fubar                 ; Command to join channel &foo using                                   key "fubar".Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 16]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   JOIN #foo,&bar fubar            ; Command to join channel #foo using                                   key "fubar" and &bar using no key.   JOIN #foo,#bar fubar,foobar     ; Command to join channel #foo using                                   key "fubar", and channel #bar using                                   key "foobar".   JOIN #foo,#bar                  ; Command to join channels #foo and                                   #bar.   JOIN 0                          ; Leave all currently joined                                   channels.   :WiZ!jto@tolsun.oulu.fi JOIN #Twilight_zone ; JOIN message from WiZ                                   on channel #Twilight_zone3.2.2 Part message      Command: PART   Parameters: <channel> *( "," <channel> ) [ <Part Message> ]   The PART command causes the user sending the message to be removed   from the list of active members for all given channels listed in the   parameter string.  If a "Part Message" is given, this will be sent   instead of the default message, the nickname.  This request is always   granted by the server.   Servers MUST be able to parse arguments in the form of a list of   target, but SHOULD NOT use lists when sending PART messages to   clients.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS              ERR_NOSUCHCHANNEL           ERR_NOTONCHANNEL   Examples:   PART #twilight_zone             ; Command to leave channel                                   "#twilight_zone"   PART #oz-ops,&group5            ; Command to leave both channels                                   "&group5" and "#oz-ops".   :WiZ!jto@tolsun.oulu.fi PART #playzone :I lost                                   ; User WiZ leaving channel                                   "#playzone" with the message "I                                   lost".Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 17]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20003.2.3 Channel mode message      Command: MODE   Parameters: <channel> *( ( "-" / "+" ) *<modes> *<modeparams> )   The MODE command is provided so that users may query and change the   characteristics of a channel.  For more details on available modes   and their uses, see "Internet Relay Chat: Channel Management" [IRC-   CHAN].  Note that there is a maximum limit of three (3) changes per   command for modes that take a parameter.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS              ERR_KEYSET           ERR_NOCHANMODES                 ERR_CHANOPRIVSNEEDED           ERR_USERNOTINCHANNEL            ERR_UNKNOWNMODE           RPL_CHANNELMODEIS           RPL_BANLIST                     RPL_ENDOFBANLIST           RPL_EXCEPTLIST                  RPL_ENDOFEXCEPTLIST           RPL_INVITELIST                  RPL_ENDOFINVITELIST           RPL_UNIQOPIS   The following examples are given to help understanding the syntax of   the MODE command, but refer to modes defined in "Internet Relay Chat:   Channel Management" [IRC-CHAN].   Examples:   MODE #Finnish +imI *!*@*.fi     ; Command to make #Finnish channel                                   moderated and 'invite-only' with user                                   with a hostname matching *.fi                                   automatically invited.   MODE #Finnish +o Kilroy         ; Command to give 'chanop' privileges                                   to Kilroy on channel #Finnish.   MODE #Finnish +v Wiz            ; Command to allow WiZ to speak on                                   #Finnish.   MODE #Fins -s                   ; Command to remove 'secret' flag                                   from channel #Fins.   MODE #42 +k oulu                ; Command to set the channel key to                                   "oulu".   MODE #42 -k oulu                ; Command to remove the "oulu"                                   channel key on channel "#42".Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 18]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   MODE #eu-opers +l 10            ; Command to set the limit for the                                   number of users on channel                                   "#eu-opers" to 10.   :WiZ!jto@tolsun.oulu.fi MODE #eu-opers -l                                   ; User "WiZ" removing the limit for                                   the number of users on channel "#eu-                                   opers".   MODE &oulu +b                   ; Command to list ban masks set for                                   the channel "&oulu".   MODE &oulu +b *!*@*             ; Command to prevent all users from                                   joining.   MODE &oulu +b *!*@*.edu +e *!*@*.bu.edu                                   ; Command to prevent any user from a                                   hostname matching *.edu from joining,                                   except if matching *.bu.edu   MODE #bu +be *!*@*.edu *!*@*.bu.edu                                   ; Comment to prevent any user from a                                   hostname matching *.edu from joining,                                   except if matching *.bu.edu   MODE #meditation e              ; Command to list exception masks set                                   for the channel "#meditation".   MODE #meditation I              ; Command to list invitations masks                                   set for the channel "#meditation".   MODE !12345ircd O               ; Command to ask who the channel                                   creator for "!12345ircd" is3.2.4 Topic message      Command: TOPIC   Parameters: <channel> [ <topic> ]   The TOPIC command is used to change or view the topic of a channel.   The topic for channel <channel> is returned if there is no <topic>   given.  If the <topic> parameter is present, the topic for that   channel will be changed, if this action is allowed for the user   requesting it.  If the <topic> parameter is an empty string, the   topic for that channel will be removed.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 19]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS              ERR_NOTONCHANNEL           RPL_NOTOPIC                     RPL_TOPIC           ERR_CHANOPRIVSNEEDED            ERR_NOCHANMODES   Examples:   :WiZ!jto@tolsun.oulu.fi TOPIC #test :New topic ; User Wiz setting the                                   topic.   TOPIC #test :another topic      ; Command to set the topic on #test                                   to "another topic".   TOPIC #test :                   ; Command to clear the topic on                                   #test.   TOPIC #test                     ; Command to check the topic for                                   #test.3.2.5 Names message      Command: NAMES   Parameters: [ <channel> *( "," <channel> ) [ <target> ] ]   By using the NAMES command, a user can list all nicknames that are   visible to him. For more details on what is visible and what is not,   see "Internet Relay Chat: Channel Management" [IRC-CHAN].  The   <channel> parameter specifies which channel(s) to return information   about.  There is no error reply for bad channel names.   If no <channel> parameter is given, a list of all channels and their   occupants is returned.  At the end of this list, a list of users who   are visible but either not on any channel or not on a visible channel   are listed as being on `channel' "*".   If the <target> parameter is specified, the request is forwarded to   that server which will generate the reply.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.   Numerics:           ERR_TOOMANYMATCHES              ERR_NOSUCHSERVER           RPL_NAMREPLY                    RPL_ENDOFNAMESKalt                         Informational                     [Page 20]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Examples:   NAMES #twilight_zone,#42        ; Command to list visible users on                                   #twilight_zone and #42   NAMES                           ; Command to list all visible                                   channels and users3.2.6 List message      Command: LIST   Parameters: [ <channel> *( "," <channel> ) [ <target> ] ]   The list command is used to list channels and their topics.  If the   <channel> parameter is used, only the status of that channel is   displayed.   If the <target> parameter is specified, the request is forwarded to   that server which will generate the reply.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_TOOMANYMATCHES              ERR_NOSUCHSERVER           RPL_LIST                        RPL_LISTEND   Examples:   LIST                            ; Command to list all channels.   LIST #twilight_zone,#42         ; Command to list channels                                   #twilight_zone and #423.2.7 Invite message      Command: INVITE   Parameters: <nickname> <channel>   The INVITE command is used to invite a user to a channel.  The   parameter <nickname> is the nickname of the person to be invited to   the target channel <channel>.  There is no requirement that the   channel the target user is being invited to must exist or be a valid   channel.  However, if the channel exists, only members of the channel   are allowed to invite other users.  When the channel has invite-only   flag set, only channel operators may issue INVITE command.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 21]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Only the user inviting and the user being invited will receive   notification of the invitation.  Other channel members are not   notified.  (This is unlike the MODE changes, and is occasionally the   source of trouble for users.)   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS              ERR_NOSUCHNICK           ERR_NOTONCHANNEL                ERR_USERONCHANNEL           ERR_CHANOPRIVSNEEDED           RPL_INVITING                    RPL_AWAY   Examples:   :Angel!wings@irc.org INVITE Wiz #Dust                                   ; Message to WiZ when he has been                                   invited by user Angel to channel                                   #Dust   INVITE Wiz #Twilight_Zone       ; Command to invite WiZ to                                   #Twilight_zone3.2.8 Kick command      Command: KICK   Parameters: <channel> *( "," <channel> ) <user> *( "," <user> )               [<comment>]   The KICK command can be used to request the forced removal of a user   from a channel.  It causes the <user> to PART from the <channel> by   force.  For the message to be syntactically correct, there MUST be   either one channel parameter and multiple user parameter, or as many   channel parameters as there are user parameters.  If a "comment" is   given, this will be sent instead of the default message, the nickname   of the user issuing the KICK.   The server MUST NOT send KICK messages with multiple channels or   users to clients.  This is necessarily to maintain backward   compatibility with old client software.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS              ERR_NOSUCHCHANNEL           ERR_BADCHANMASK                 ERR_CHANOPRIVSNEEDED           ERR_USERNOTINCHANNEL            ERR_NOTONCHANNELKalt                         Informational                     [Page 22]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Examples:   KICK &Melbourne Matthew         ; Command to kick Matthew from                                   &Melbourne   KICK #Finnish John :Speaking English                                   ; Command to kick John from #Finnish                                   using "Speaking English" as the                                   reason (comment).   :WiZ!jto@tolsun.oulu.fi KICK #Finnish John                                   ; KICK message on channel #Finnish                                   from WiZ to remove John from channel3.3 Sending messages   The main purpose of the IRC protocol is to provide a base for clients   to communicate with each other.  PRIVMSG, NOTICE and SQUERY   (described inSection 3.5 on Service Query and Commands) are the only   messages available which actually perform delivery of a text message   from one client to another - the rest just make it possible and try   to ensure it happens in a reliable and structured manner.3.3.1 Private messages      Command: PRIVMSG   Parameters: <msgtarget> <text to be sent>   PRIVMSG is used to send private messages between users, as well as to   send messages to channels.  <msgtarget> is usually the nickname of   the recipient of the message, or a channel name.   The <msgtarget> parameter may also be a host mask (#<mask>) or server   mask ($<mask>).  In both cases the server will only send the PRIVMSG   to those who have a server or host matching the mask.  The mask MUST   have at least 1 (one) "." in it and no wildcards following the last   ".".  This requirement exists to prevent people sending messages to   "#*" or "$*", which would broadcast to all users.  Wildcards are the   '*' and '?'  characters.  This extension to the PRIVMSG command is   only available to operators.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NORECIPIENT                 ERR_NOTEXTTOSEND           ERR_CANNOTSENDTOCHAN            ERR_NOTOPLEVEL           ERR_WILDTOPLEVEL                ERR_TOOMANYTARGETS           ERR_NOSUCHNICK           RPL_AWAYKalt                         Informational                     [Page 23]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Examples:   :Angel!wings@irc.org PRIVMSG Wiz :Are you receiving this message ?                                   ; Message from Angel to Wiz.   PRIVMSG Angel :yes I'm receiving it !                                   ; Command to send a message to Angel.   PRIVMSG jto@tolsun.oulu.fi :Hello !                                   ; Command to send a message to a user                                   on server tolsun.oulu.fi with                                   username of "jto".   PRIVMSG kalt%millennium.stealth.net@irc.stealth.net :Are you a frog?                                   ; Message to a user on server                                   irc.stealth.net with username of                                   "kalt", and connected from the host                                   millennium.stealth.net.   PRIVMSG kalt%millennium.stealth.net :Do you like cheese?                                   ; Message to a user on the local                                   server with username of "kalt", and                                   connected from the host                                   millennium.stealth.net.   PRIVMSG Wiz!jto@tolsun.oulu.fi :Hello !                                   ; Message to the user with nickname                                   Wiz who is connected from the host                                   tolsun.oulu.fi and has the username                                   "jto".   PRIVMSG $*.fi :Server tolsun.oulu.fi rebooting.                                   ; Message to everyone on a server                                   which has a name matching *.fi.   PRIVMSG #*.edu :NSFNet is undergoing work, expect interruptions                                   ; Message to all users who come from                                   a host which has a name matching                                   *.edu.3.3.2 Notice      Command: NOTICE   Parameters: <msgtarget> <text>   The NOTICE command is used similarly to PRIVMSG.  The difference   between NOTICE and PRIVMSG is that automatic replies MUST NEVER be   sent in response to a NOTICE message.  This rule applies to serversKalt                         Informational                     [Page 24]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   too - they MUST NOT send any error reply back to the client on   receipt of a notice.  The object of this rule is to avoid loops   between clients automatically sending something in response to   something it received.   This command is available to services as well as users.   This is typically used by services, and automatons (clients with   either an AI or other interactive program controlling their actions).   See PRIVMSG for more details on replies and examples.3.4 Server queries and commands   The server query group of commands has been designed to return   information about any server which is connected to the network.   In these queries, where a parameter appears as <target>, wildcard   masks are usually valid.  For each parameter, however, only one query   and set of replies is to be generated.  In most cases, if a nickname   is given, it will mean the server to which the user is connected.   These messages typically have little value for services, it is   therefore RECOMMENDED to forbid services from using them.3.4.1 Motd message      Command: MOTD   Parameters: [ <target> ]   The MOTD command is used to get the "Message Of The Day" of the given   server, or current server if <target> is omitted.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.   Numeric Replies:           RPL_MOTDSTART                   RPL_MOTD           RPL_ENDOFMOTD                   ERR_NOMOTD3.4.2 Lusers message      Command: LUSERS   Parameters: [ <mask> [ <target> ] ]   The LUSERS command is used to get statistics about the size of the   IRC network.  If no parameter is given, the reply will be about the   whole net.  If a <mask> is specified, then the reply will onlyKalt                         Informational                     [Page 25]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   concern the part of the network formed by the servers matching the   mask.  Finally, if the <target> parameter is specified, the request   is forwarded to that server which will generate the reply.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.   Numeric Replies:           RPL_LUSERCLIENT                 RPL_LUSEROP           RPL_LUSERUNKOWN                 RPL_LUSERCHANNELS           RPL_LUSERME                     ERR_NOSUCHSERVER3.4.3 Version message      Command: VERSION   Parameters: [ <target> ]   The VERSION command is used to query the version of the server   program.  An optional parameter <target> is used to query the version   of the server program which a client is not directly connected to.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOSUCHSERVER                RPL_VERSION   Examples:   VERSION tolsun.oulu.fi          ; Command to check the version of                                   server "tolsun.oulu.fi".3.4.4 Stats message      Command: STATS   Parameters: [ <query> [ <target> ] ]   The stats command is used to query statistics of certain server.  If   <query> parameter is omitted, only the end of stats reply is sent   back.   A query may be given for any single letter which is only checked by   the destination server and is otherwise passed on by intermediate   servers, ignored and unaltered.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 26]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Except for the ones below, the list of valid queries is   implementation dependent.  The standard queries below SHOULD be   supported by the server:            l - returns a list of the server's connections, showing how                long each connection has been established and the                traffic over that connection in Kbytes and messages for                each direction;            m - returns the usage count for each of commands supported                by the server; commands for which the usage count is                zero MAY be omitted;            o - returns a list of configured privileged users,                operators;            u - returns a string showing how long the server has been                up.   It is also RECOMMENDED that client and server access configuration be   published this way.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOSUCHSERVER           RPL_STATSLINKINFO                RPL_STATSUPTIME           RPL_STATSCOMMANDS                RPL_STATSOLINE           RPL_ENDOFSTATS   Examples:   STATS m                         ; Command to check the command usage                                   for the server you are connected to3.4.5 Links message      Command: LINKS   Parameters: [ [ <remote server> ] <server mask> ]   With LINKS, a user can list all servernames, which are known by the   server answering the query.  The returned list of servers MUST match   the mask, or if no mask is given, the full list is returned.   If <remote server> is given in addition to <server mask>, the LINKS   command is forwarded to the first server found that matches that name   (if any), and that server is then required to answer the query.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOSUCHSERVER           RPL_LINKS                        RPL_ENDOFLINKSKalt                         Informational                     [Page 27]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Examples:   LINKS *.au                      ; Command to list all servers which                                   have a name that matches *.au;   LINKS *.edu *.bu.edu            ; Command to list servers matching                                   *.bu.edu as seen by the first server                                   matching *.edu.3.4.6 Time message      Command: TIME   Parameters: [ <target> ]   The time command is used to query local time from the specified   server. If the <target> parameter is not given, the server receiving   the command must reply to the query.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOSUCHSERVER              RPL_TIME   Examples:   TIME tolsun.oulu.fi             ; check the time on the server                                   "tolson.oulu.fi"3.4.7 Connect message      Command: CONNECT   Parameters: <target server> <port> [ <remote server> ]   The CONNECT command can be used to request a server to try to   establish a new connection to another server immediately.  CONNECT is   a privileged command and SHOULD be available only to IRC Operators.   If a <remote server> is given and its mask doesn't match name of the   parsing server, the CONNECT attempt is sent to the first match of   remote server. Otherwise the CONNECT attempt is made by the server   processing the request.   The server receiving a remote CONNECT command SHOULD generate a   WALLOPS message describing the source and target of the request.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOSUCHSERVER              ERR_NOPRIVILEGES           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMSKalt                         Informational                     [Page 28]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Examples:   CONNECT tolsun.oulu.fi 6667     ; Command to attempt to connect local                                   server to tolsun.oulu.fi on port 66673.4.8 Trace message      Command: TRACE   Parameters: [ <target> ]   TRACE command is used to find the route to specific server and   information about its peers.  Each server that processes this command   MUST report to the sender about it.  The replies from pass-through   links form a chain, which shows route to destination.  After sending   this reply back, the query MUST be sent to the next server until   given <target> server is reached.   TRACE command is used to find the route to specific server.  Each   server that processes this message MUST tell the sender about it by   sending a reply indicating it is a pass-through link, forming a chain   of replies.  After sending this reply back, it MUST then send the   TRACE message to the next server until given server is reached.  If   the <target> parameter is omitted, it is RECOMMENDED that TRACE   command sends a message to the sender telling which servers the local   server has direct connection to.   If the destination given by <target> is an actual server, the   destination server is REQUIRED to report all servers, services and   operators which are connected to it; if the command was issued by an   operator, the server MAY also report all users which are connected to   it.  If the destination given by <target> is a nickname, then only a   reply for that nickname is given.  If the <target> parameter is   omitted, it is RECOMMENDED that the TRACE command is parsed as   targeted to the processing server.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOSUCHSERVER      If the TRACE message is destined for another server, all      intermediate servers must return a RPL_TRACELINK reply to indicate      that the TRACE passed through it and where it is going next.           RPL_TRACELINKKalt                         Informational                     [Page 29]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000      A TRACE reply may be composed of any number of the following      numeric replies.           RPL_TRACECONNECTING           RPL_TRACEHANDSHAKE           RPL_TRACEUNKNOWN              RPL_TRACEOPERATOR           RPL_TRACEUSER                 RPL_TRACESERVER           RPL_TRACESERVICE              RPL_TRACENEWTYPE           RPL_TRACECLASS                RPL_TRACELOG           RPL_TRACEEND   Examples:   TRACE *.oulu.fi                 ; TRACE to a server matching                                   *.oulu.fi3.4.9 Admin command      Command: ADMIN   Parameters: [ <target> ]   The admin command is used to find information about the administrator   of the given server, or current server if <target> parameter is   omitted.  Each server MUST have the ability to forward ADMIN messages   to other servers.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOSUCHSERVER           RPL_ADMINME                   RPL_ADMINLOC1           RPL_ADMINLOC2                 RPL_ADMINEMAIL   Examples:   ADMIN tolsun.oulu.fi            ; request an ADMIN reply from                                   tolsun.oulu.fi   ADMIN syrk                      ; ADMIN request for the server to                                   which the user syrk is connectedKalt                         Informational                     [Page 30]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20003.4.10 Info command      Command: INFO   Parameters: [ <target> ]   The INFO command is REQUIRED to return information describing the   server: its version, when it was compiled, the patchlevel, when it   was started, and any other miscellaneous information which may be   considered to be relevant.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOSUCHSERVER           RPL_INFO                      RPL_ENDOFINFO   Examples:   INFO csd.bu.edu                 ; request an INFO reply from                                   csd.bu.edu   INFO Angel                      ; request info from the server that                                   Angel is connected to.3.5 Service Query and Commands   The service query group of commands has been designed to return   information about any service which is connected to the network.3.5.1 Servlist message      Command: SERVLIST   Parameters: [ <mask> [ <type> ] ]   The SERVLIST command is used to list services currently connected to   the network and visible to the user issuing the command.  The   optional parameters may be used to restrict the result of the query   (to matching services names, and services type).   Numeric Replies:           RPL_SERVLIST                  RPL_SERVLISTENDKalt                         Informational                     [Page 31]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20003.5.2 Squery      Command: SQUERY   Parameters: <servicename> <text>   The SQUERY command is used similarly to PRIVMSG.  The only difference   is that the recipient MUST be a service.  This is the only way for a   text message to be delivered to a service.   See PRIVMSG for more details on replies and example.   Examples:   SQUERY irchelp :HELP privmsg                                   ; Message to the service with                                   nickname irchelp.   SQUERY dict@irc.fr :fr2en blaireau                                   ; Message to the service with name                                   dict@irc.fr.3.6 User based queries   User queries are a group of commands which are primarily concerned   with finding details on a particular user or group users.  When using   wildcards with any of these commands, if they match, they will only   return information on users who are 'visible' to you.  The visibility   of a user is determined as a combination of the user's mode and the   common set of channels you are both on.   Although services SHOULD NOT be using this class of message, they are   allowed to.3.6.1 Who query      Command: WHO   Parameters: [ <mask> [ "o" ] ]   The WHO command is used by a client to generate a query which returns   a list of information which 'matches' the <mask> parameter given by   the client.  In the absence of the <mask> parameter, all visible   (users who aren't invisible (user mode +i) and who don't have a   common channel with the requesting client) are listed.  The same   result can be achieved by using a <mask> of "0" or any wildcard which   will end up matching every visible user.   The <mask> passed to WHO is matched against users' host, server, real   name and nickname if the channel <mask> cannot be found.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 32]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   If the "o" parameter is passed only operators are returned according   to the <mask> supplied.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOSUCHSERVER           RPL_WHOREPLY                  RPL_ENDOFWHO   Examples:   WHO *.fi                        ; Command to list all users who match                                   against "*.fi".   WHO jto* o                      ; Command to list all users with a                                   match against "jto*" if they are an                                   operator.3.6.2 Whois query      Command: WHOIS   Parameters: [ <target> ] <mask> *( "," <mask> )   This command is used to query information about particular user.   The server will answer this command with several numeric messages   indicating different statuses of each user which matches the mask (if   you are entitled to see them).  If no wildcard is present in the   <mask>, any information about that nick which you are allowed to see   is presented.   If the <target> parameter is specified, it sends the query to a   specific server.  It is useful if you want to know how long the user   in question has been idle as only local server (i.e., the server the   user is directly connected to) knows that information, while   everything else is globally known.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOSUCHSERVER              ERR_NONICKNAMEGIVEN           RPL_WHOISUSER                 RPL_WHOISCHANNELS           RPL_WHOISCHANNELS             RPL_WHOISSERVER           RPL_AWAY                      RPL_WHOISOPERATOR           RPL_WHOISIDLE                 ERR_NOSUCHNICK           RPL_ENDOFWHOISKalt                         Informational                     [Page 33]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Examples:   WHOIS wiz                       ; return available user information                                   about nick WiZ   WHOIS eff.org trillian          ; ask server eff.org for user                                   information  about trillian3.6.3 Whowas      Command: WHOWAS   Parameters: <nickname> *( "," <nickname> ) [ <count> [ <target> ] ]   Whowas asks for information about a nickname which no longer exists.   This may either be due to a nickname change or the user leaving IRC.   In response to this query, the server searches through its nickname   history, looking for any nicks which are lexically the same (no wild   card matching here).  The history is searched backward, returning the   most recent entry first.  If there are multiple entries, up to   <count> replies will be returned (or all of them if no <count>   parameter is given).  If a non-positive number is passed as being   <count>, then a full search is done.   Wildcards are allowed in the <target> parameter.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NONICKNAMEGIVEN           ERR_WASNOSUCHNICK           RPL_WHOWASUSER                RPL_WHOISSERVER           RPL_ENDOFWHOWAS   Examples:   WHOWAS Wiz                      ; return all information in the nick                                   history about nick "WiZ";   WHOWAS Mermaid 9                ; return at most, the 9 most recent                                   entries in the nick history for                                   "Mermaid";   WHOWAS Trillian 1 *.edu         ; return the most recent history for                                   "Trillian" from the first server                                   found to match "*.edu".3.7 Miscellaneous messages   Messages in this category do not fit into any of the above categories   but are nonetheless still a part of and REQUIRED by the protocol.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 34]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20003.7.1 Kill message      Command: KILL   Parameters: <nickname> <comment>   The KILL command is used to cause a client-server connection to be   closed by the server which has the actual connection.  Servers   generate KILL messages on nickname collisions.  It MAY also be   available available to users who have the operator status.   Clients which have automatic reconnect algorithms effectively make   this command useless since the disconnection is only brief.  It does   however break the flow of data and can be used to stop large amounts   of 'flooding' from abusive users or accidents.  Abusive users usually   don't care as they will reconnect promptly and resume their abusive   behaviour.  To prevent this command from being abused, any user may   elect to receive KILL messages generated for others to keep an 'eye'   on would be trouble spots.   In an arena where nicknames are REQUIRED to be globally unique at all   times, KILL messages are sent whenever 'duplicates' are detected   (that is an attempt to register two users with the same nickname) in   the hope that both of them will disappear and only 1 reappear.   When a client is removed as the result of a KILL message, the server   SHOULD add the nickname to the list of unavailable nicknames in an   attempt to avoid clients to reuse this name immediately which is   usually the pattern of abusive behaviour often leading to useless   "KILL loops".  See the "IRC Server Protocol" document [IRC-SERVER]   for more information on this procedure.   The comment given MUST reflect the actual reason for the KILL.  For   server-generated KILLs it usually is made up of details concerning   the origins of the two conflicting nicknames.  For users it is left   up to them to provide an adequate reason to satisfy others who see   it.  To prevent/discourage fake KILLs from being generated to hide   the identify of the KILLer, the comment also shows a 'kill-path'   which is updated by each server it passes through, each prepending   its name to the path.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOPRIVILEGES              ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS           ERR_NOSUCHNICK                ERR_CANTKILLSERVERKalt                         Informational                     [Page 35]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   NOTE:   It is RECOMMENDED that only Operators be allowed to kill other users   with KILL command.  This command has been the subject of many   controversies over the years, and along with the above   recommendation, it is also widely recognized that not even operators   should be allowed to kill users on remote servers.3.7.2 Ping message      Command: PING   Parameters: <server1> [ <server2> ]   The PING command is used to test the presence of an active client or   server at the other end of the connection.  Servers send a PING   message at regular intervals if no other activity detected coming   from a connection.  If a connection fails to respond to a PING   message within a set amount of time, that connection is closed.  A   PING message MAY be sent even if the connection is active.   When a PING message is received, the appropriate PONG message MUST be   sent as reply to <server1> (server which sent the PING message out)   as soon as possible.  If the <server2> parameter is specified, it   represents the target of the ping, and the message gets forwarded   there.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOORIGIN                  ERR_NOSUCHSERVER   Examples:   PING tolsun.oulu.fi             ; Command to send a PING message to                                   server   PING WiZ tolsun.oulu.fi         ; Command from WiZ to send a PING                                   message to server "tolsun.oulu.fi"   PING :irc.funet.fi              ; Ping message sent by server                                   "irc.funet.fi"Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 36]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20003.7.3 Pong message      Command: PONG   Parameters: <server> [ <server2> ]   PONG message is a reply to ping message.  If parameter <server2> is   given, this message MUST be forwarded to given target.  The <server>   parameter is the name of the entity who has responded to PING message   and generated this message.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOORIGIN                  ERR_NOSUCHSERVER   Example:   PONG csd.bu.edu tolsun.oulu.fi  ; PONG message from csd.bu.edu to                                   tolsun.oulu.fi3.7.4 Error      Command: ERROR   Parameters: <error message>   The ERROR command is for use by servers when reporting a serious or   fatal error to its peers.  It may also be sent from one server to   another but MUST NOT be accepted from any normal unknown clients.   Only an ERROR message SHOULD be used for reporting errors which occur   with a server-to-server link.  An ERROR message is sent to the server   at the other end (which reports it to appropriate local users and   logs) and to appropriate local users and logs.  It is not to be   passed onto any other servers by a server if it is received from a   server.   The ERROR message is also used before terminating a client   connection.   When a server sends a received ERROR message to its operators, the   message SHOULD be encapsulated inside a NOTICE message, indicating   that the client was not responsible for the error.   Numerics:           None.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 37]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Examples:   ERROR :Server *.fi already exists ; ERROR message to the other server                                   which caused this error.   NOTICE WiZ :ERROR from csd.bu.edu -- Server *.fi already exists                                   ; Same ERROR message as above but                                   sent to user WiZ on the other server.4. Optional features   This section describes OPTIONAL messages.  They are not required in a   working server implementation of the protocol described herein.  In   the absence of the feature, an error reply message MUST be generated   or an unknown command error.  If the message is destined for another   server to answer then it MUST be passed on (elementary parsing   REQUIRED) The allocated numerics for this are listed with the   messages below.   From this section, only the USERHOST and ISON messages are available   to services.4.1 Away      Command: AWAY   Parameters: [ <text> ]   With the AWAY command, clients can set an automatic reply string for   any PRIVMSG commands directed at them (not to a channel they are on).   The server sends an automatic reply to the client sending the PRIVMSG   command.  The only replying server is the one to which the sending   client is connected to.   The AWAY command is used either with one parameter, to set an AWAY   message, or with no parameters, to remove the AWAY message.   Because of its high cost (memory and bandwidth wise), the AWAY   message SHOULD only be used for client-server communication.  A   server MAY choose to silently ignore AWAY messages received from   other servers.  To update the away status of a client across servers,   the user mode 'a' SHOULD be used instead.  (SeeSection 3.1.5)   Numeric Replies:           RPL_UNAWAY                    RPL_NOWAWAYKalt                         Informational                     [Page 38]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Example:   AWAY :Gone to lunch.  Back in 5 ; Command to set away message to                                   "Gone to lunch.  Back in 5".4.2 Rehash message      Command: REHASH   Parameters: None   The rehash command is an administrative command which can be used by   an operator to force the server to re-read and process its   configuration file.   Numeric Replies:           RPL_REHASHING                 ERR_NOPRIVILEGES   Example:   REHASH                          ; message from user with operator                                   status to server asking it to reread                                   its configuration file.4.3 Die message      Command: DIE   Parameters: None   An operator can use the DIE command to shutdown the server.  This   message is optional since it may be viewed as a risk to allow   arbitrary people to connect to a server as an operator and execute   this command.   The DIE command MUST always be fully processed by the server to which   the sending client is connected and MUST NOT be passed onto other   connected servers.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOPRIVILEGES   Example:   DIE                             ; no parameters required.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 39]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20004.4 Restart message      Command: RESTART   Parameters: None   An operator can use the restart command to force the server to   restart itself.  This message is optional since it may be viewed as a   risk to allow arbitrary people to connect to a server as an operator   and execute this command, causing (at least) a disruption to service.   The RESTART command MUST always be fully processed by the server to   which the sending client is connected and MUST NOT be passed onto   other connected servers.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOPRIVILEGES   Example:   RESTART                         ; no parameters required.4.5 Summon message      Command: SUMMON   Parameters: <user> [ <target> [ <channel> ] ]   The SUMMON command can be used to give users who are on a host   running an IRC server a message asking them to please join IRC.  This   message is only sent if the target server (a) has SUMMON enabled, (b)   the user is logged in and (c) the server process can write to the   user's tty (or similar).   If no <server> parameter is given it tries to summon <user> from the   server the client is connected to is assumed as the target.   If summon is not enabled in a server, it MUST return the   ERR_SUMMONDISABLED numeric.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NORECIPIENT               ERR_FILEERROR           ERR_NOLOGIN                   ERR_NOSUCHSERVER           ERR_SUMMONDISABLED            RPL_SUMMONINGKalt                         Informational                     [Page 40]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   Examples:   SUMMON jto                      ; summon user jto on the server's                                   host   SUMMON jto tolsun.oulu.fi       ; summon user jto on the host which a                                   server named "tolsun.oulu.fi" is                                   running.4.6 Users      Command: USERS   Parameters: [ <target> ]   The USERS command returns a list of users logged into the server in a   format similar to the UNIX commands who(1), rusers(1) and finger(1).   If disabled, the correct numeric MUST be returned to indicate this.   Because of the security implications of such a command, it SHOULD be   disabled by default in server implementations.  Enabling it SHOULD   require recompiling the server or some equivalent change rather than   simply toggling an option and restarting the server.  The procedure   to enable this command SHOULD also include suitable large comments.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NOSUCHSERVER              ERR_FILEERROR           RPL_USERSSTART                RPL_USERS           RPL_NOUSERS                   RPL_ENDOFUSERS           ERR_USERSDISABLED   Disabled Reply:           ERR_USERSDISABLED   Example:   USERS eff.org                   ; request a list of users logged in                                   on server eff.org4.7 Operwall message      Command: WALLOPS   Parameters: <Text to be sent>   The WALLOPS command is used to send a message to all currently   connected users who have set the 'w' user mode for themselves.  (SeeSection 3.1.5 "User modes").Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 41]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   After implementing WALLOPS as a user command it was found that it was   often and commonly abused as a means of sending a message to a lot of   people.  Due to this, it is RECOMMENDED that the implementation of   WALLOPS allows and recognizes only servers as the originators of   WALLOPS.   Numeric Replies:           ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS   Example:   :csd.bu.edu WALLOPS :Connect '*.uiuc.edu 6667' from Joshua ; WALLOPS                                   message from csd.bu.edu announcing a                                   CONNECT message it received from                                   Joshua and acted upon.4.8 Userhost message      Command: USERHOST   Parameters: <nickname> *( SPACE <nickname> )   The USERHOST command takes a list of up to 5 nicknames, each   separated by a space character and returns a list of information   about each nickname that it found.  The returned list has each reply   separated by a space.   Numeric Replies:           RPL_USERHOST                  ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS   Example:   USERHOST Wiz Michael syrk       ; USERHOST request for information on                                   nicks "Wiz", "Michael", and "syrk"   :ircd.stealth.net 302 yournick :syrk=+syrk@millennium.stealth.net                                   ; Reply for user syrk4.9 Ison message      Command: ISON   Parameters: <nickname> *( SPACE <nickname> )   The ISON command was implemented to provide a quick and efficient   means to get a response about whether a given nickname was currently   on IRC. ISON only takes one (1) type of parameter: a space-separated   list of nicks.  For each nickname in the list that is present, theKalt                         Informational                     [Page 42]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   server adds that to its reply string.  Thus the reply string may   return empty (none of the given nicks are present), an exact copy of   the parameter string (all of them present) or any other subset of the   set of nicks given in the parameter.  The only limit on the number of   nicks that may be checked is that the combined length MUST NOT be too   large as to cause the server to chop it off so it fits in 512   characters.   ISON is only processed by the server local to the client sending the   command and thus not passed onto other servers for further   processing.   Numeric Replies:           RPL_ISON                      ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS   Example:   ISON phone trillian WiZ jarlek Avalon Angel Monstah syrk                                   ; Sample ISON request for 7 nicks.5. Replies   The following is a list of numeric replies which are generated in   response to the commands given above.  Each numeric is given with its   number, name and reply string.5.1 Command responses   Numerics in the range from 001 to 099 are used for client-server   connections only and should never travel between servers.  Replies   generated in the response to commands are found in the range from 200   to 399.       001    RPL_WELCOME              "Welcome to the Internet Relay Network               <nick>!<user>@<host>"       002    RPL_YOURHOST              "Your host is <servername>, running version <ver>"       003    RPL_CREATED              "This server was created <date>"       004    RPL_MYINFO              "<servername> <version> <available user modes>               <available channel modes>"         - The server sends Replies 001 to 004 to a user upon           successful registration.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 43]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000       005    RPL_BOUNCE              "Try server <server name>, port <port number>"         - Sent by the server to a user to suggest an alternative           server.  This is often used when the connection is           refused because the server is already full.       302    RPL_USERHOST              ":*1<reply> *( " " <reply> )"         - Reply format used by USERHOST to list replies to           the query list.  The reply string is composed as           follows:           reply = nickname [ "*" ] "=" ( "+" / "-" ) hostname           The '*' indicates whether the client has registered           as an Operator.  The '-' or '+' characters represent           whether the client has set an AWAY message or not           respectively.       303    RPL_ISON              ":*1<nick> *( " " <nick> )"         - Reply format used by ISON to list replies to the           query list.       301    RPL_AWAY              "<nick> :<away message>"       305    RPL_UNAWAY              ":You are no longer marked as being away"       306    RPL_NOWAWAY              ":You have been marked as being away"         - These replies are used with the AWAY command (if           allowed).  RPL_AWAY is sent to any client sending a           PRIVMSG to a client which is away.  RPL_AWAY is only           sent by the server to which the client is connected.           Replies RPL_UNAWAY and RPL_NOWAWAY are sent when the           client removes and sets an AWAY message.       311    RPL_WHOISUSER              "<nick> <user> <host> * :<real name>"       312    RPL_WHOISSERVER              "<nick> <server> :<server info>"       313    RPL_WHOISOPERATOR              "<nick> :is an IRC operator"Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 44]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000       317    RPL_WHOISIDLE              "<nick> <integer> :seconds idle"       318    RPL_ENDOFWHOIS              "<nick> :End of WHOIS list"       319    RPL_WHOISCHANNELS              "<nick> :*( ( "@" / "+" ) <channel> " " )"         - Replies 311 - 313, 317 - 319 are all replies           generated in response to a WHOIS message.  Given that           there are enough parameters present, the answering           server MUST either formulate a reply out of the above           numerics (if the query nick is found) or return an           error reply.  The '*' in RPL_WHOISUSER is there as           the literal character and not as a wild card.  For           each reply set, only RPL_WHOISCHANNELS may appear           more than once (for long lists of channel names).           The '@' and '+' characters next to the channel name           indicate whether a client is a channel operator or           has been granted permission to speak on a moderated           channel.  The RPL_ENDOFWHOIS reply is used to mark           the end of processing a WHOIS message.       314    RPL_WHOWASUSER              "<nick> <user> <host> * :<real name>"       369    RPL_ENDOFWHOWAS              "<nick> :End of WHOWAS"         - When replying to a WHOWAS message, a server MUST use           the replies RPL_WHOWASUSER, RPL_WHOISSERVER or           ERR_WASNOSUCHNICK for each nickname in the presented           list.  At the end of all reply batches, there MUST           be RPL_ENDOFWHOWAS (even if there was only one reply           and it was an error).       321    RPL_LISTSTART              Obsolete. Not used.       322    RPL_LIST              "<channel> <# visible> :<topic>"       323    RPL_LISTEND              ":End of LIST"         - Replies RPL_LIST, RPL_LISTEND mark the actual replies           with data and end of the server's response to a LIST           command.  If there are no channels available to return,           only the end reply MUST be sent.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 45]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000       325    RPL_UNIQOPIS              "<channel> <nickname>"       324    RPL_CHANNELMODEIS              "<channel> <mode> <mode params>"       331    RPL_NOTOPIC              "<channel> :No topic is set"       332    RPL_TOPIC              "<channel> :<topic>"         - When sending a TOPIC message to determine the           channel topic, one of two replies is sent.  If           the topic is set, RPL_TOPIC is sent back else           RPL_NOTOPIC.       341    RPL_INVITING              "<channel> <nick>"         - Returned by the server to indicate that the           attempted INVITE message was successful and is           being passed onto the end client.       342    RPL_SUMMONING              "<user> :Summoning user to IRC"         - Returned by a server answering a SUMMON message to           indicate that it is summoning that user.       346    RPL_INVITELIST              "<channel> <invitemask>"       347    RPL_ENDOFINVITELIST              "<channel> :End of channel invite list"         - When listing the 'invitations masks' for a given channel,           a server is required to send the list back using the           RPL_INVITELIST and RPL_ENDOFINVITELIST messages.  A           separate RPL_INVITELIST is sent for each active mask.           After the masks have been listed (or if none present) a           RPL_ENDOFINVITELIST MUST be sent.       348    RPL_EXCEPTLIST              "<channel> <exceptionmask>"       349    RPL_ENDOFEXCEPTLIST              "<channel> :End of channel exception list"Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 46]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000         - When listing the 'exception masks' for a given channel,           a server is required to send the list back using the           RPL_EXCEPTLIST and RPL_ENDOFEXCEPTLIST messages.  A           separate RPL_EXCEPTLIST is sent for each active mask.           After the masks have been listed (or if none present)           a RPL_ENDOFEXCEPTLIST MUST be sent.       351    RPL_VERSION              "<version>.<debuglevel> <server> :<comments>"         - Reply by the server showing its version details.           The <version> is the version of the software being           used (including any patchlevel revisions) and the           <debuglevel> is used to indicate if the server is           running in "debug mode".           The "comments" field may contain any comments about           the version or further version details.       352    RPL_WHOREPLY              "<channel> <user> <host> <server> <nick>              ( "H" / "G" > ["*"] [ ( "@" / "+" ) ]              :<hopcount> <real name>"       315    RPL_ENDOFWHO              "<name> :End of WHO list"         - The RPL_WHOREPLY and RPL_ENDOFWHO pair are used           to answer a WHO message.  The RPL_WHOREPLY is only           sent if there is an appropriate match to the WHO           query.  If there is a list of parameters supplied           with a WHO message, a RPL_ENDOFWHO MUST be sent           after processing each list item with <name> being           the item.       353    RPL_NAMREPLY              "( "=" / "*" / "@" ) <channel>               :[ "@" / "+" ] <nick> *( " " [ "@" / "+" ] <nick> )         - "@" is used for secret channels, "*" for private           channels, and "=" for others (public channels).       366    RPL_ENDOFNAMES              "<channel> :End of NAMES list"         - To reply to a NAMES message, a reply pair consisting           of RPL_NAMREPLY and RPL_ENDOFNAMES is sent by the           server back to the client.  If there is no channel           found as in the query, then only RPL_ENDOFNAMES isKalt                         Informational                     [Page 47]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000           returned.  The exception to this is when a NAMES           message is sent with no parameters and all visible           channels and contents are sent back in a series of           RPL_NAMEREPLY messages with a RPL_ENDOFNAMES to mark           the end.       364    RPL_LINKS              "<mask> <server> :<hopcount> <server info>"       365    RPL_ENDOFLINKS              "<mask> :End of LINKS list"         - In replying to the LINKS message, a server MUST send           replies back using the RPL_LINKS numeric and mark the           end of the list using an RPL_ENDOFLINKS reply.       367    RPL_BANLIST              "<channel> <banmask>"       368    RPL_ENDOFBANLIST              "<channel> :End of channel ban list"         - When listing the active 'bans' for a given channel,           a server is required to send the list back using the           RPL_BANLIST and RPL_ENDOFBANLIST messages.  A separate           RPL_BANLIST is sent for each active banmask.  After the           banmasks have been listed (or if none present) a           RPL_ENDOFBANLIST MUST be sent.       371    RPL_INFO              ":<string>"       374    RPL_ENDOFINFO              ":End of INFO list"         - A server responding to an INFO message is required to           send all its 'info' in a series of RPL_INFO messages           with a RPL_ENDOFINFO reply to indicate the end of the           replies.       375    RPL_MOTDSTART              ":- <server> Message of the day - "       372    RPL_MOTD              ":- <text>"       376    RPL_ENDOFMOTD              ":End of MOTD command"         - When responding to the MOTD message and the MOTD file           is found, the file is displayed line by line, with           each line no longer than 80 characters, usingKalt                         Informational                     [Page 48]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000           RPL_MOTD format replies.  These MUST be surrounded           by a RPL_MOTDSTART (before the RPL_MOTDs) and an           RPL_ENDOFMOTD (after).       381    RPL_YOUREOPER              ":You are now an IRC operator"         - RPL_YOUREOPER is sent back to a client which has           just successfully issued an OPER message and gained           operator status.       382    RPL_REHASHING              "<config file> :Rehashing"         - If the REHASH option is used and an operator sends           a REHASH message, an RPL_REHASHING is sent back to           the operator.       383    RPL_YOURESERVICE              "You are service <servicename>"         - Sent by the server to a service upon successful           registration.       391    RPL_TIME              "<server> :<string showing server's local time>"         - When replying to the TIME message, a server MUST send           the reply using the RPL_TIME format above.  The string           showing the time need only contain the correct day and           time there.  There is no further requirement for the           time string.       392    RPL_USERSSTART              ":UserID   Terminal  Host"       393    RPL_USERS              ":<username> <ttyline> <hostname>"       394    RPL_ENDOFUSERS              ":End of users"       395    RPL_NOUSERS              ":Nobody logged in"         - If the USERS message is handled by a server, the           replies RPL_USERSTART, RPL_USERS, RPL_ENDOFUSERS and           RPL_NOUSERS are used.  RPL_USERSSTART MUST be sent           first, following by either a sequence of RPL_USERS           or a single RPL_NOUSER.  Following this is           RPL_ENDOFUSERS.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 49]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000       200    RPL_TRACELINK              "Link <version & debug level> <destination>               <next server> V<protocol version>               <link uptime in seconds> <backstream sendq>               <upstream sendq>"       201    RPL_TRACECONNECTING              "Try. <class> <server>"       202    RPL_TRACEHANDSHAKE              "H.S. <class> <server>"       203    RPL_TRACEUNKNOWN              "???? <class> [<client IP address in dot form>]"       204    RPL_TRACEOPERATOR              "Oper <class> <nick>"       205    RPL_TRACEUSER              "User <class> <nick>"       206    RPL_TRACESERVER              "Serv <class> <int>S <int>C <server>               <nick!user|*!*>@<host|server> V<protocol version>"       207    RPL_TRACESERVICE              "Service <class> <name> <type> <active type>"       208    RPL_TRACENEWTYPE              "<newtype> 0 <client name>"       209    RPL_TRACECLASS              "Class <class> <count>"       210    RPL_TRACERECONNECT              Unused.       261    RPL_TRACELOG              "File <logfile> <debug level>"       262    RPL_TRACEEND              "<server name> <version & debug level> :End of TRACE"         - The RPL_TRACE* are all returned by the server in           response to the TRACE message.  How many are           returned is dependent on the TRACE message and           whether it was sent by an operator or not.  There           is no predefined order for which occurs first.           Replies RPL_TRACEUNKNOWN, RPL_TRACECONNECTING and           RPL_TRACEHANDSHAKE are all used for connections           which have not been fully established and are either           unknown, still attempting to connect or in the           process of completing the 'server handshake'.           RPL_TRACELINK is sent by any server which handles           a TRACE message and has to pass it on to another           server.  The list of RPL_TRACELINKs sent in           response to a TRACE command traversing the IRC           network should reflect the actual connectivity of           the servers themselves along that path.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 50]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000           RPL_TRACENEWTYPE is to be used for any connection           which does not fit in the other categories but is           being displayed anyway.           RPL_TRACEEND is sent to indicate the end of the list.       211    RPL_STATSLINKINFO              "<linkname> <sendq> <sent messages>               <sent Kbytes> <received messages>               <received Kbytes> <time open>"         - reports statistics on a connection.  <linkname>           identifies the particular connection, <sendq> is           the amount of data that is queued and waiting to be           sent <sent messages> the number of messages sent,           and <sent Kbytes> the amount of data sent, in           Kbytes. <received messages> and <received Kbytes>           are the equivalent of <sent messages> and <sent           Kbytes> for received data, respectively.  <time           open> indicates how long ago the connection was           opened, in seconds.       212    RPL_STATSCOMMANDS              "<command> <count> <byte count> <remote count>"         - reports statistics on commands usage.       219    RPL_ENDOFSTATS              "<stats letter> :End of STATS report"       242    RPL_STATSUPTIME              ":Server Up %d days %d:%02d:%02d"         - reports the server uptime.       243    RPL_STATSOLINE              "O <hostmask> * <name>"         - reports the allowed hosts from where user may become IRC           operators.       221    RPL_UMODEIS              "<user mode string>"         - To answer a query about a client's own mode,           RPL_UMODEIS is sent back.       234    RPL_SERVLIST              "<name> <server> <mask> <type> <hopcount> <info>"Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 51]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000       235    RPL_SERVLISTEND              "<mask> <type> :End of service listing"         - When listing services in reply to a SERVLIST message,           a server is required to send the list back using the           RPL_SERVLIST and RPL_SERVLISTEND messages.  A separate           RPL_SERVLIST is sent for each service.  After the           services have been listed (or if none present) a           RPL_SERVLISTEND MUST be sent.       251    RPL_LUSERCLIENT              ":There are <integer> users and <integer>               services on <integer> servers"       252    RPL_LUSEROP              "<integer> :operator(s) online"       253    RPL_LUSERUNKNOWN              "<integer> :unknown connection(s)"       254    RPL_LUSERCHANNELS              "<integer> :channels formed"       255    RPL_LUSERME              ":I have <integer> clients and <integer>                servers"         - In processing an LUSERS message, the server           sends a set of replies from RPL_LUSERCLIENT,           RPL_LUSEROP, RPL_USERUNKNOWN,           RPL_LUSERCHANNELS and RPL_LUSERME.  When           replying, a server MUST send back           RPL_LUSERCLIENT and RPL_LUSERME.  The other           replies are only sent back if a non-zero count           is found for them.       256    RPL_ADMINME              "<server> :Administrative info"       257    RPL_ADMINLOC1              ":<admin info>"       258    RPL_ADMINLOC2              ":<admin info>"       259    RPL_ADMINEMAIL              ":<admin info>"         - When replying to an ADMIN message, a server           is expected to use replies RPL_ADMINME           through to RPL_ADMINEMAIL and provide a text           message with each.  For RPL_ADMINLOC1 a           description of what city, state and country           the server is in is expected, followed by           details of the institution (RPL_ADMINLOC2)Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 52]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000           and finally the administrative contact for the           server (an email address here is REQUIRED)           in RPL_ADMINEMAIL.       263    RPL_TRYAGAIN              "<command> :Please wait a while and try again."         - When a server drops a command without processing it,           it MUST use the reply RPL_TRYAGAIN to inform the           originating client.5.2 Error Replies       Error replies are found in the range from 400 to 599.       401    ERR_NOSUCHNICK              "<nickname> :No such nick/channel"          - Used to indicate the nickname parameter supplied to a            command is currently unused.       402    ERR_NOSUCHSERVER              "<server name> :No such server"         - Used to indicate the server name given currently           does not exist.       403    ERR_NOSUCHCHANNEL              "<channel name> :No such channel"         - Used to indicate the given channel name is invalid.       404    ERR_CANNOTSENDTOCHAN              "<channel name> :Cannot send to channel"         - Sent to a user who is either (a) not on a channel           which is mode +n or (b) not a chanop (or mode +v) on           a channel which has mode +m set or where the user is           banned and is trying to send a PRIVMSG message to           that channel.       405    ERR_TOOMANYCHANNELS              "<channel name> :You have joined too many channels"         - Sent to a user when they have joined the maximum           number of allowed channels and they try to join           another channel.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 53]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000       406    ERR_WASNOSUCHNICK              "<nickname> :There was no such nickname"         - Returned by WHOWAS to indicate there is no history           information for that nickname.       407    ERR_TOOMANYTARGETS              "<target> :<error code> recipients. <abort message>"         - Returned to a client which is attempting to send a           PRIVMSG/NOTICE using the user@host destination format           and for a user@host which has several occurrences.         - Returned to a client which trying to send a           PRIVMSG/NOTICE to too many recipients.         - Returned to a client which is attempting to JOIN a safe           channel using the shortname when there are more than one           such channel.       408    ERR_NOSUCHSERVICE              "<service name> :No such service"         - Returned to a client which is attempting to send a SQUERY           to a service which does not exist.       409    ERR_NOORIGIN              ":No origin specified"         - PING or PONG message missing the originator parameter.       411    ERR_NORECIPIENT              ":No recipient given (<command>)"       412    ERR_NOTEXTTOSEND              ":No text to send"       413    ERR_NOTOPLEVEL              "<mask> :No toplevel domain specified"       414    ERR_WILDTOPLEVEL              "<mask> :Wildcard in toplevel domain"       415    ERR_BADMASK              "<mask> :Bad Server/host mask"         - 412 - 415 are returned by PRIVMSG to indicate that           the message wasn't delivered for some reason.           ERR_NOTOPLEVEL and ERR_WILDTOPLEVEL are errors that           are returned when an invalid use of           "PRIVMSG $<server>" or "PRIVMSG #<host>" is attempted.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 54]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000       421    ERR_UNKNOWNCOMMAND              "<command> :Unknown command"         - Returned to a registered client to indicate that the           command sent is unknown by the server.       422    ERR_NOMOTD              ":MOTD File is missing"         - Server's MOTD file could not be opened by the server.       423    ERR_NOADMININFO              "<server> :No administrative info available"         - Returned by a server in response to an ADMIN message           when there is an error in finding the appropriate           information.       424    ERR_FILEERROR              ":File error doing <file op> on <file>"         - Generic error message used to report a failed file           operation during the processing of a message.       431    ERR_NONICKNAMEGIVEN              ":No nickname given"         - Returned when a nickname parameter expected for a           command and isn't found.       432    ERR_ERRONEUSNICKNAME              "<nick> :Erroneous nickname"         - Returned after receiving a NICK message which contains           characters which do not fall in the defined set.  Seesection 2.3.1 for details on valid nicknames.       433    ERR_NICKNAMEINUSE              "<nick> :Nickname is already in use"         - Returned when a NICK message is processed that results           in an attempt to change to a currently existing           nickname.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 55]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000       436    ERR_NICKCOLLISION              "<nick> :Nickname collision KILL from <user>@<host>"         - Returned by a server to a client when it detects a           nickname collision (registered of a NICK that           already exists by another server).       437    ERR_UNAVAILRESOURCE              "<nick/channel> :Nick/channel is temporarily unavailable"         - Returned by a server to a user trying to join a channel           currently blocked by the channel delay mechanism.         - Returned by a server to a user trying to change nickname           when the desired nickname is blocked by the nick delay           mechanism.       441    ERR_USERNOTINCHANNEL              "<nick> <channel> :They aren't on that channel"         - Returned by the server to indicate that the target           user of the command is not on the given channel.       442    ERR_NOTONCHANNEL              "<channel> :You're not on that channel"         - Returned by the server whenever a client tries to           perform a channel affecting command for which the           client isn't a member.       443    ERR_USERONCHANNEL              "<user> <channel> :is already on channel"         - Returned when a client tries to invite a user to a           channel they are already on.       444    ERR_NOLOGIN              "<user> :User not logged in"         - Returned by the summon after a SUMMON command for a           user was unable to be performed since they were not           logged in.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 56]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000       445    ERR_SUMMONDISABLED              ":SUMMON has been disabled"         - Returned as a response to the SUMMON command.  MUST be           returned by any server which doesn't implement it.       446    ERR_USERSDISABLED              ":USERS has been disabled"         - Returned as a response to the USERS command.  MUST be           returned by any server which does not implement it.       451    ERR_NOTREGISTERED              ":You have not registered"         - Returned by the server to indicate that the client           MUST be registered before the server will allow it           to be parsed in detail.       461    ERR_NEEDMOREPARAMS              "<command> :Not enough parameters"         - Returned by the server by numerous commands to           indicate to the client that it didn't supply enough           parameters.       462    ERR_ALREADYREGISTRED              ":Unauthorized command (already registered)"         - Returned by the server to any link which tries to           change part of the registered details (such as           password or user details from second USER message).       463    ERR_NOPERMFORHOST              ":Your host isn't among the privileged"         - Returned to a client which attempts to register with           a server which does not been setup to allow           connections from the host the attempted connection           is tried.       464    ERR_PASSWDMISMATCH              ":Password incorrect"         - Returned to indicate a failed attempt at registering           a connection for which a password was required and           was either not given or incorrect.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 57]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000       465    ERR_YOUREBANNEDCREEP              ":You are banned from this server"         - Returned after an attempt to connect and register           yourself with a server which has been setup to           explicitly deny connections to you.       466    ERR_YOUWILLBEBANNED         - Sent by a server to a user to inform that access to the           server will soon be denied.       467    ERR_KEYSET              "<channel> :Channel key already set"       471    ERR_CHANNELISFULL              "<channel> :Cannot join channel (+l)"       472    ERR_UNKNOWNMODE              "<char> :is unknown mode char to me for <channel>"       473    ERR_INVITEONLYCHAN              "<channel> :Cannot join channel (+i)"       474    ERR_BANNEDFROMCHAN              "<channel> :Cannot join channel (+b)"       475    ERR_BADCHANNELKEY              "<channel> :Cannot join channel (+k)"       476    ERR_BADCHANMASK              "<channel> :Bad Channel Mask"       477    ERR_NOCHANMODES              "<channel> :Channel doesn't support modes"       478    ERR_BANLISTFULL              "<channel> <char> :Channel list is full"       481    ERR_NOPRIVILEGES              ":Permission Denied- You're not an IRC operator"         - Any command requiring operator privileges to operate           MUST return this error to indicate the attempt was           unsuccessful.       482    ERR_CHANOPRIVSNEEDED              "<channel> :You're not channel operator"         - Any command requiring 'chanop' privileges (such as           MODE messages) MUST return this error if the client           making the attempt is not a chanop on the specified           channel.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 58]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000       483    ERR_CANTKILLSERVER              ":You can't kill a server!"         - Any attempts to use the KILL command on a server           are to be refused and this error returned directly           to the client.       484    ERR_RESTRICTED              ":Your connection is restricted!"         - Sent by the server to a user upon connection to indicate           the restricted nature of the connection (user mode "+r").       485    ERR_UNIQOPPRIVSNEEDED              ":You're not the original channel operator"         - Any MODE requiring "channel creator" privileges MUST           return this error if the client making the attempt is not           a chanop on the specified channel.       491    ERR_NOOPERHOST              ":No O-lines for your host"         - If a client sends an OPER message and the server has           not been configured to allow connections from the           client's host as an operator, this error MUST be           returned.       501    ERR_UMODEUNKNOWNFLAG              ":Unknown MODE flag"         - Returned by the server to indicate that a MODE           message was sent with a nickname parameter and that           the a mode flag sent was not recognized.       502    ERR_USERSDONTMATCH              ":Cannot change mode for other users"         - Error sent to any user trying to view or change the           user mode for a user other than themselves.5.3 Reserved numerics   These numerics are not described above since they fall into one of   the following categories:   1. no longer in use;Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 59]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 2000   2. reserved for future planned use;   3. in current use but are part of a non-generic 'feature' of      the current IRC server.            231    RPL_SERVICEINFO     232  RPL_ENDOFSERVICES            233    RPL_SERVICE            300    RPL_NONE            316  RPL_WHOISCHANOP            361    RPL_KILLDONE        362  RPL_CLOSING            363    RPL_CLOSEEND        373  RPL_INFOSTART            384    RPL_MYPORTIS            213    RPL_STATSCLINE      214  RPL_STATSNLINE            215    RPL_STATSILINE      216  RPL_STATSKLINE            217    RPL_STATSQLINE      218  RPL_STATSYLINE            240    RPL_STATSVLINE      241  RPL_STATSLLINE            244    RPL_STATSHLINE      244  RPL_STATSSLINE            246    RPL_STATSPING       247  RPL_STATSBLINE            250    RPL_STATSDLINE            492    ERR_NOSERVICEHOST6. Current implementations   The IRC software, version 2.10 is the only complete implementation of   the IRC protocol (client and server).  Because of the small amount of   changes in the client protocol since the publication ofRFC 1459   [IRC], implementations that follow it are likely to be compliant with   this protocol or to require a small amount of changes to reach   compliance.7. Current problems   There are a number of recognized problems with the IRC Client   Protocol, and more generally with the IRC Server Protocol.  In order   to preserve backward compatibility with old clients, this protocol   has almost not evolved since the publication ofRFC 1459 [IRC].7.1 Nicknames   The idea of the nickname on IRC is very convenient for users to use   when talking to each other outside of a channel, but there is only a   finite nickname space and being what they are, it's not uncommon for   several people to want to use the same nick.  If a nickname is chosen   by two people using this protocol, either one will not succeed or   both will removed by use of a server KILL (SeeSection 3.7.1).Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 60]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 20007.2 Limitation of wildcards   There is no way to escape the escape character "\" (%x5C).  While   this isn't usually a problem, it makes it impossible to form a mask   with a backslash character ("\") preceding a wildcard.7.3 Security considerations   Security issues related to this protocol are discussed in the "IRC   Server Protocol" [IRC-SERVER] as they are mostly an issue for the   server side of the connection.8. Current support and availability        Mailing lists for IRC related discussion:          General discussion: ircd-users@irc.org          Protocol development: ircd-dev@irc.org        Software implementations:ftp://ftp.irc.org/irc/serverftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/unix/ircftp://ftp.irc.org/irc/clients        Newsgroup: alt.irc9. Acknowledgements   Parts of this document were copied from theRFC 1459 [IRC] which   first formally documented the IRC Protocol.  It has also benefited   from many rounds of review and comments.  In particular, the   following people have made significant contributions to this   document:   Matthew Green, Michael Neumayer, Volker Paulsen, Kurt Roeckx, Vesa   Ruokonen, Magnus Tjernstrom, Stefan Zehl.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 61]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 200010. References   [KEYWORDS]   Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate                Requirement Levels",BCP 14,RFC 2119, March 1997.   [ABNF]       Crocker, D. and P. Overell, "Augmented BNF for Syntax                Specifications: ABNF",RFC 2234, November 1997.   [HNAME]      Braden, R., "Requirements for Internet Hosts --                Application and Support", STD 3,RFC 1123, October 1989.   [IRC]        Oikarinen, J. & D. Reed, "Internet Relay Chat Protocol",RFC 1459, May 1993.   [IRC-ARCH]   Kalt, C., "Internet Relay Chat: Architecture",RFC 2810,                April 2000.   [IRC-CHAN]   Kalt, C., "Internet Relay Chat: Channel Management",RFC2811, April 2000.   [IRC-SERVER] Kalt, C., "Internet Relay Chat: Server Protocol",RFC2813, April 2000.11. Author's Address   Christophe Kalt   99 Teaneck Rd, Apt #117   Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660   USA   EMail: kalt@stealth.netKalt                         Informational                     [Page 62]

RFC 2812          Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol        April 200012.  Full Copyright Statement   Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2000).  All Rights Reserved.   This document and translations of it may be copied and furnished to   others, and derivative works that comment on or otherwise explain it   or assist in its implementation may be prepared, copied, published   and distributed, in whole or in part, without restriction of any   kind, provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are   included on all such copies and derivative works.  However, this   document itself may not be modified in any way, such as by removing   the copyright notice or references to the Internet Society or other   Internet organizations, except as needed for the purpose of   developing Internet standards in which case the procedures for   copyrights defined in the Internet Standards process must be   followed, or as required to translate it into languages other than   English.   The limited permissions granted above are perpetual and will not be   revoked by the Internet Society or its successors or assigns.   This document and the information contained herein is provided on an   "AS IS" basis and THE INTERNET SOCIETY AND THE INTERNET ENGINEERING   TASK FORCE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING   BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY THAT THE USE OF THE INFORMATION   HEREIN WILL NOT INFRINGE ANY RIGHTS OR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF   MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.Acknowledgement   Funding for the RFC Editor function is currently provided by the   Internet Society.Kalt                         Informational                     [Page 63]

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