Frequently Asked Questions & Reference
Where can I find the EsperNet Charter / Terms of Use?
Does EsperNet provide cloaking/vhosts?
Espernet does not support cloaking or hiding of IP addresses of it's users. If you wish to 'hide' your IP you could look into using an IRC bouncer (BNC) however that involves purchasing a shell account from a provider that provides such services. Do note that on occasion abusive users of a BNC service may be banned from a network, and in doing so, banning you as well (shared hosting).
How do I reclaim my channel after it becomes unregistered?
This applies to UNREGISTERED channels only: If you no longer have any operators in your channel you will be unable to gain operator status without the assistance of the network staff. In most cases whoever asks for operator status for a unregistered channel is the one who gets it. You can seek assistance in #dragonweyr. To join; issue: /join #dragonweyr
Do you allow adult-oriented channels?
Yes, as long as they are set to secret.
How do I make my channel secret?
Setting a channel 'secret' (mode +s) prevents the channel from showing up in /list and the /whois. If you /whois yourself or /list while you yourself are in the +s channel, it will appear, but only to you and others in the +s channel. To anyone outside the channel, it is invisible.
To set a channel to secret use:
/mode #mychannel +s
Note: You need to be operator to do this. Additionally, to have the +s mode persist, a registered channel can have a mode-lock enabled using:
/msg chanserv SET #mychannel MLOCK +s
For more info; see
/msg chanserv HELP SET MLOCK
Connectivity Issues
Does EsperNet support IPv6?
Yes. You can point your client to irc.ipv6.esper.net to be connected to a random ipv6 supporting server.
Do you provide SSL encrypted connections?
Yes, all servers support SSL, using port 6697.
Verizon Wireless
Verizon appears to have blocked EsperNet (and other well known IRC networks) from their wireless internet service. Symptoms: Unable to connect (or sporadic connection) to EsperNet using Verizon's wireless service and/or traceroute fails at the last hop. To circumvent this restriction, connect to EsperNet indirectly using a (private) proxy, IRC bouncer, shell account or a web service such as webchat.esper.net or Mibbit.com
I only get the MOTD (or part of it), then get disconnected. What's wrong?
It is likely your firewall software/router/antivirus is detecting the proxy scan from our servers, interpreting it as malicious and forcefully closing the connection. You either need to investigate whether you can 'whitelist' the IRC connection or disable the 'DOS protection', 'Intrusion Detection' or 'SPF firewall' on your router. Belkin routers are known to be culprits in many of these cases.
Mibbit users are not affected by this because Mibbit.com is proxying your connection to Espernet via the WEBIRC protocol, not using a direct connection.