FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AlaskaNet IRC Network Notice

Friday, January 5th, 2018

This notice is to inform all AlaskaNet users of some coming changes

that will be effective on January 10th, 2018. For starters, we have
notified all users of a network wide outage for the purpose of system
upgrades and maintenance. This outage should last no longer than 30
minutes. If we were to give an estimation as to the longest one could
anticipate an outage, do plan for at least 60 minutes of
inaccessibility to the network.

When the network comes back online you will immediately see some
changes. The first and more obvious one that users will encounter is
a change to the name of this network. We are changing the name to
IRCNorth. This name comes in lieu of expanded server coverage that
goes beyond Alaska. We have found it counterproductive to retain the
name of AlaskaNet with servers that are located in the lower 48
states. This new network name, however will define our network in a
broad fashion. Our servers will be located in Alaska, Washington,
Maine and eventually coverage in Europe later this year.

We want users to know that reliability will not change. The next
thing you will encounter when the network comes back online is your
user information will be wiped. We have found some inconsistencies
with our previous IRCd configuration that prohibits users and network
administrators from having full access and the best experience while
connected. After the system maintenance is complete and you
reconnect, all users will be required to register your nick(s).

Be advised that many of the channels you are currently using have
been preserved in our new configuration. It is strongly recommended
that you flush the channel auto join list, if you have one created
and start it over again. A list of channels that will be available
are listed at the end of this release. There are some new channels
created that may be of interest to you. We have been working
diligently on some additional bots that will be added to the network
by month’s end, offering alerts, news headlines and much more. The
channels with that information are listed at the end of this press
release.

An added note regarding server addresses. Users will continue to have

access using irc.alaskanet.us until summer 2018. We will be issuing a
series of addresses for each server in the next 90 days that users
can configure their IRC clients with in lieu of these new expansions
on the network.

I want to highlight on a few new features that will be coming with

the new IRC network configuration in an itemized list:
1.) The available number of channels a person can idle in has been
increased from 30 to 100.

2.) The number of channels a person can register on the network has
increased from 20 to 25.

3.) The number of logins allowable from one IP address has increased
from 7 to 10.

4.) The number of linked servers on the network has increased from 3
to 4.

5.) The alaska-bot, soon to be renamed ircbot, is being moved to a

different location. It will be on its own computer, therefore
allowing better response times and a faster internet connection.

6.) The upgraded IRC network will come with new, self-signed SSL
certificates on each individual server. They will be valid until
January 2028.

7.) We are adding ports for more connections to the network. They are
listed below:
a.) Standard Ports: 6667, 39001, 39002, 39003, 39004 and 39005
b.) SSL Ports: 6697, 55001, 55002, 55003, 55004 and 55005

With the new network, we feel that users will have more reliability
and functionality which is our primary goal. As the network owner and
lead administrator it is my absolute pleasure to bring users a
reliable means to communicate using a minimal internet footprint. I
look forward to keeping this available for many years to come! If you
have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask WB1ILS and he will
get you answers as soon as he is available. Thanks again!

As promised, here is a complete list of channels (new and old) that

will be immediately available when the network comes back online from
system maintenance January 10th.

#amnchat ==> This is the Alaska Morning Net chatroom. This net is
Monday though Saturday; 9AM Alaska Time, 1PM Eastern Time, 5PM UTC.
IRLP: 9109 AllStar: 29332, 27133 Echolink: WL7LP-R, 9191
#chatroom ==> A general chatroom for IRCNorth [FAMILY-FRIENDLY]
#chicken-salad Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, Over
#Christians A place for God's worshipping people to meet on
IRCNorth
#coffee ==> The official coffee shop for IRCNorth ... have a coffee
and have a chat. [FAMILY-FRIENDLY]
#discussion ==> A channel for discussion
#fedora-hams ==> Amateur radio operators and other enthusiasts that
use Fedora
##geo-alerts ==> Earthquake, flood, tsunami, volcanic and wild fire
alerts worldwide
#HamRadio ==> all things ham radio
#HamSalad ==> 00
#ircnorth ==> IRCNorth Support Channel ... any assistance required
that explicitly pertains to this IRC network should be asked here.
#linux ==> Linux support channel for IRCNorth...all DE's and distros
are welcome. If a question is asked and an immediate response isn't
given, please wait and someone will get back to you as quickly as
possible. Otherwise, welcome!
#Living_Green ==> ⓘ Living more efficiently using a smaller Carbon
footprint. Questions please post it and we will get back to you.
Solar powered appliances and batteries, powerstrips. |
http://waterheatertimer.org/9-ways-to-save-with-water-heater.html
##newsroom Worldwide news headlines as they happen
#offtopic ==> Off-topic chat on whatever you want
#ops ==> IRCNorth OPS **ONLY**
#party ==> Welcome to the party-line. There are lots of people in
here, hang around! | Commands & Information:
https://pastebin.com/raw/bRAKZtip
#pc-talk ==> The original #pc-talk, join us for some fun chat!
#pimento-cheese The basic recipe has few ingredients: sharp cheddar
cheese or processed cheese (such as Velveeta or American cheese),
mayonnaise or salad dressing, and pimentos, blended to either a
smooth or chunky paste.
##private ==> Private Channel. Password Protected.
#radio ==> All things radio including DXing and even some
electronics too....all are welcome!
##Ruffled-Feathers
#satellite ==> All things relating to satellite internet, telephone
and television
#ungeneral-chat "uh huh"
#weather ==> General weather inquiries channel....type .wx-wg ZIP to
get your local weather. Type .forecast-wg ZIP to get your forecast.
##wx-alerts-ca ==> Weather alerts throughout Canada (Source:
Environment Canada)
##wx-alerts-us Weather alerts throughout the United States (Source:
NOAA)