Internet Relay Chat

This page is still very incomplete.

What is IRC?

IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. It is a global real-time communication system operating on the client-server system. Currently, you will find approximately 5000 people on IRC at any one time.

The Service

IRC is not supported by the Computation Center or any other university department in an official capacity. The Computation Center provides the hardware necessary to run the server. It also provides disk space in the form of the IRC locker to provide a central location for IRC software. The service is maintained by interested students who volunteer their time.

IRC On Project Vincent

To use IRC on Project Vincent, type in 'add irc'. From there, instructions will be displayed to you. The command to start IRC is, strangely enough, 'irc'.

IRC on Personal Computers

If you want to use IRC on a Macintosh or PC connected to the campus ethernet, there are several clients available. None are supplied by the Computation Center, so you will have to install your own. Clients can be found on ftp.iastate.edu:/pub/irc/clients.

IRC Source Code

Source code for both client and server programs can be found on ftp.iastate.edu:/pub/irc. This is mirrored daily from cs-ftp.bu.edu.

The Operators

  • Mike Cantonwine, Administrator

  • Jennifer Jones, Operator

  • Mike Nieman, Operator

  • Jon Green, Operator

    •

    The Server

    The IRC server runs on irc.iastate.edu, which is a DECstation 2100 with 24 megs of RAM running Ultrix V4.3A. The machine is located in room 95 Durham, the Computation Center operations room. irc.iastate.edu is a Project Vincent machine which is dedicated to running the server, and is not a general access machine. The machine is capable of 250 maximum connections, with the highest so far being 180 (we think) clients and 9 servers. irc.iastate.edu is a hub server for MIDNet and also serves as a backup for large hubs such as uiuc.edu.

    Some people actually want to know what the machine looks like, so I'll put a picture of the machine here.

    Other IRC links

  • IRC Related Resources on the Internet

  • www.funet.fi

  • www.enst.fr

  • The IRC picture database

    For More Information...

    You can reach the people in charge of IRC by writing to irc@iastate.edu. Please send any questions, comments, or suggestions about IRC to this address.

    Last updated 1/28/95 by jcg