Linking

Sorry, the Xertion IRC Network is NOT currently accepting link applications at this time.

This page describes Xertion's linking policies and the linking process.

Linking process

When a server is accepted for linking, it starts off as a test link. A test link is a temporary status assigned to new servers linked to the network. It helps us make sure that new servers are stable and can adhere to our linking policies. During a test link, the server will be linked to one of our hub servers closest to its region. It will have a DNS entry added but will not enter rotation right away. In addition, any IRC operator introduced to staff by way of linking a server will NOT receive any permissions with network services, unless all network owners unanimously agree.

After the initial test link period is up (at least 3 weeks), the network's upper management (network owners and root administrators) will come together, provide input on the server's observed stability and conformity to network linking policy, and come to one of the following 3 decisions:

• Link rejected - the link is rejected and terminated. A detailed explanation will be given if this is the case. If the link introduced an IRC operator to network staff, he/she may be retained on staff if they are determined to be a valuable asset to the network.
• Test link continued - the link remains in test link status for an additional duration not to exceed 42 days. If necessary, an explanation as to why we require an extended test link status for the server will be given.
• Link accepted - the link has passed test link status and is promoted to full link. Any restrictions applied during test link phase are removed immediately.

Linking policies

Any user may request to link to Xertion. Links from existing network staff are preferred but are generally not permitted to introduce new staff unless network ownership agrees.

Before filling out and sending the form at the end of this page, you should read all of the following requirements and recommendations. Obviously, anything listed under Requirements is a must to even be considered to link. Items listed under Recommendations are preferred, but not required for consideration.

Requirements to Link

NOTE: Your server must fulfill *ALL* of this section, or it will *NOT* be considered!

• Your server CANNOT:
  • Be a home server with any kind of connection, no matter how good you think your hardware or connectivity is. Hosting a home server also tends to be against most residential ISP's terms of service.
  • Be hosted with a provider known to us to have unreliable service, poor performance, unreliable customer support, or otherwise poor reputation (e.g FDCServers, TelVPS, VPSLink, etc).
  • Be hosted with a provider that explicitly forbids the hosting of IRC servers in their Terms of Service/Acceptable Use Policy.
  • Be linked to another network at the same time.
  • Be running Windows, OS X, or anyBSD derivatives (FreeBSD/OpenBSD, etc).This is because our build scripts do not support these platforms.
    • NOTE: Software such as Cygwin or Ubuntu On Windows (aka 'Windows Subsystem for Linux") is NOT considered Linux!
  • Be an IRC shell server - we don't care how reliable a shell provider it is.

• Your server MUST:
  • Be a VPS, a dedicated server, or a colocated server. If a VPS, it cannot be OpenVZ - please use KVM (preferred), Xen, LXC, LXD, or VMware.
  • Have full root access available
    
  • Meet the following hardware and network connectivity requirements (failure to meet *ALL* of these requirements as outlined will result in automatic link rejection):
    • CPU/processor: Must be a 64-bit CPU (x86_64) and architecture, clocked at 2 GHz or greater. 32-bit/i686 processors and/or userlands will NOT be accepted.
    • Memory: Must have 1.5 GB RAM or better (2 GB or greater highly preferred). We can make case-by-case exceptions for a VPS as long as it has a minimum of 512 MB.
    • Operating System: Must be a GNU/Linux server derivative (Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, etc). Debian or Ubuntu is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
    • IP Addresses: Must have *BOTH* one IPv4 address *AND*one IPv6 address, dedicated to the IRC network *ONLY*.
    • Ports: Must be able to open as many ports as we need for the network.
    • Bandwidth link speed: Must have minimum 500 Mbps or greater network connectivity + throughput, 1 Gbps preferred.
    • Monthly bandwidth: Must have monthly bandwidth allotment of 500 GB or greater.
    • Disk: Must have at least 1 drive with minimum 40 GB space. Can be traditional HDD, or SSD of any kind. We can make case-by-case exceptions for a VPS as long as it has a minimum of 10 GB.
  • Run NTP/chrony (*NOT* ntpdate), and must prove it accurately synchronizes its time. Correct time is CRITICAL to proper IRC server operation (otherwise all sorts of nasty things can occur), and therefore an inability to keep correct time will lead to either automatic rejection of your application or premature delink.
    
  • Have our domain name in its IRC server name (yourservername.xertion.org) - you can name it anything you like so long as it is appropriate and our domain name is present. We will NOT accept use of any other domain names in the IRC server name!

• You MUST:
  • Be able to administer a Linux server entirely on your own, to at least the level of LPIC-1.
  • Be able to follow requests to install software components during initial link setup.
  • Speak English relatively fluently (any IRC operators you bring with you must also speak English).
    

Recommendations

These server recommendations are a plus, but are not required to link:

• No resource-intensive programs such as GUIs (X11), torrenting programs, etc running on the server
• Specific GNU/Linux distribution is Ubuntu or Debian.
• Ability to provide the network account on the server with temporary sudo access so we can install any software and libraries we may need for the IRCd ourselves.
  • Alternatively, install at least these packages: libp11-kit-dev, libgmp-dev, pkg-config, Perl, g++/gcc, make and all other essential compilation and linker tools, as well as a text editor like nano or vi(m).
• No additional IRC operators other than yourself.
• Server is part of the datacenter directly (HUGE plus!).

Form

The Xertion IRC Network is not currently accepting link applications at this time, though you may still fill out the form below for future consideration.

If you are interested in linking, and you meet all the requirements outlined in the Requirements section above, please fill out this form and submit it via e-mail to the staff. Failure to fill out the entire form will automatically lead to rejection of your application. Please provide as much information as possible when filling out each field.

IPv4 address(es), comma separated:
IPv6 address(es), comma separated; if you have a whole prefix, supply only the IP(s) available for the network:
Hosting provider:
Hosting type: [ ] Colocation, [ ] Dedicated Server, [ ] VPS/VM
Location (Country, [if US: state], region):
Processor (number of CPUs, model, speed, cores):
RAM:
Line speed:
Monthly bandwidth:
Disk space (both total and free, in GB):
Operating system (if Linux, include distribution name and version as well):
Server admin:
 Nickname:
 E-mail address (if different from this email address):
 Date of birth:
 Experience with IRC (years/months):
 Additional spoken languages (if other than English, leave blank if none):
Additional operator (leave this section blank if no additional operators):
 Nick:
 Date of birth:
 Experience with IRC:
 Spoken languages (if other than English, leave blank if none):
Desired server name (must use network domain, e.g. <name>.xertion.org):
Special notes (place an X in all that apply):
[ ] I, the server administrator, have physical access to the machine (this means that you can physically touch the server)
[ ] I, the server administrator, wish to become an IRC Operator on the Xertion network.
[ ] Other people have root on the server (list if applicable with nick and e-mail):
[ ] Other special notes not listed or covered in this form, specify:
For the following questions, please use as much space as you need. You needn't be concerned about writing too much, but at the same time you should write enough to sufficiently answer each one.
 How have you been involved in Xertion so far?
 Why do you want to link your server to Xertion?
 What are your personal technical skills with *NIX and networking?

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