Linking

The Xertion IRC network shall henceforth be called simply "Xertion" or "the network".

Definition of a Testlink

A testlink is a temporary status for new servers on the network. A new server will be linked to a regular hub like all other servers matching its region. The duration of a testlink is at least three weeks (21 days).

During testlink, the following restrictions apply: No IRC Operator that was introduced by linking said server shall receive any permissions with services unless all Network Owners unanimously agree.

After these first three weeks, the initial testlink time, the Network Owners will make a decision on whether or not to keep the server around; one of three results is possible:

• The server is rejected. Staff introduced by the link may be kept or not, depending on whether they are a valuable asset to the network.
• The server is kept in testlink for another while; the added duration must be fixed and not exceed 42 days.
• The server is promoted to full link. All restrictions will be removed promptly.

Application for Linking a Server

Anyone may request to link to Xertion. Links from existing opers will be preferred but may not introduce new staff unless agreed otherwise with Kaishiro.

After submitting your application, you will get a response on IRC in a private message by Kaishiro. He will inform you whether or not your application was accepted or not; all decisions are final.

All following requirements and recommendations are subject to change at a moment's notice.

Requirements to Link

• Home servers need not apply, no matter how great you think your hardware/connectivity may be.
• Your server must either be a VPS, a dedicated server or colocated.
• You must have root access on the server and follow requests to install software during the initial setup of the link.
• You should be able to provide at least 2Mbps down and up and provide a monthly traffic of about a gigabyte.
• Your server must be running Linux, OpenBSD or FreeBSD. No Windows or OS X servers whatsoever and you must be capable of doing basic administration tasks on your own (roughly to the point of LPIC-1).
• Your server may not link to another network at the same time.
• Your server must have an i686 or x86_64 architecture CPU with at least 1GHz. Your server must have at least 256MB of RAM.
• You must have an IPv4 IP address that you can dedicate to the network; ports should be possible to open as necessary for client and server connections.
• Your server must use ntp to synchronize its time accurately. Failure to do so will be a reason to reject your application or delink your server prematurely. If you are linking a VPS and ntp is not an option, make sure you can prove that your time is reliable.
• You, the server administrator, must speak English relatively fluently. This applies to any IRC Operators you may wish to bring as well.
• Your server name must use the network's domain name (xertion.org), no other domains will be accepted.

Recommendations

• Your server should not be hosted by OVH or FDC.
• Your server should have native IPv6, at least one IP.
• Your server should have a secondary IPv4 address; it might be used for setting up a webchat instance. If you are alright with that, please specify so.
• Your server should not run any software for personal use (this includes, but is not limited to, GUIs/X11 and torrenting programs).
• You should be able to provide the account for the IRCd linked to the network with sudo access temporarily for the initial setup to make it easier on us.
• You should add no operators if possible; it increases the likelihood of a link.
• Bonus points for being part of the datacenter.
• To make our life easier, please install: gnutls and gnutls-dev, g++ (On FreeBSD: clang is also alright), make and all other essential compilation tools, Perl (5.8.0+), vi.

Form

If you are interested in linking, please fill out this form and submit it using e-mail to the staff. Failure to fill out the entire form will automatically lead to rejection of your application.

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
Location (Country, [if US: state], region): 
Processor (number of CPUs, model, speed, cores): 
RAM: 
Line speed: 
Monthly bandwidth: 
Disk space (total/free; state if there is a quota for the user): 
Operating system (if Linux distribution name as well, version): 
Server admin:
 Nick: 
 E-mail address (if not the same you're sending this e-mail from): 
 Date of birth:
 Experience with IRC: 
 Languages (do not list English or programming languages): 
Additional operator:
 Nick: 
 Date of birth: 
 Experience with IRC: 
 Languages (do not list English or programming languages):
Desired server name (must use network domain, e.g. <name>.xertion.org): 
Special notes:
[ ] I, the server administrator, have physical access to the machine.
[ ] 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):
For the following questions, please use as much space as you need -- don't be concerned about writing too much, worry about writing too little.
How have you been involved in Xertion so far?
Why do you think that your server should link to Xertion?
What are your personal technical skills with *NIX and networking?