Hello, a question from an (old) newbie to Synchronet BBS configuration: just a quick hint for configuring Chat Section Irc Client (irc.js) to access a private ircd-hybrid server: where to input the password required by the Ircd-Hybrid Server? The [chat_sec] section of modopt.ini does only allow to 1) set irc = on 2) override irc server/port and channel settings with custom ones. Exploring the module irc.js was not helpful to me.

Thanks in advance for any support!

On Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:48:56 -0700
"Odusseus71" (VERT) <VERT!Odusseus71@endofthelinebbs.com> wrote:

Hello, a question from an (old) newbie to Synchronet BBS
configuration: just a quick hint for configuring Chat Section Irc
Client (irc.js) to access a private ircd-hybrid server: where to
input the password required by the Ircd-Hybrid Server? The [chat_sec]
section of modopt.ini does only allow to 1) set irc = on 2) override
irc server/port and channel settings with custom ones. Exploring the
module irc.js was not helpful to me.

Thanks in advance for any support!

---
￭ Synchronet ￭ Vertrauen ￭ Home of Synchronet ￭ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

I don't think that is supported. I've never had to login to an IRC
server that requires a password in 30 years of IRCing.
If it's possible to give an example, I can take a look. It shouldn't be
too difficult.
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
---
￭ Synchronet ￭ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com

Thank you for answering me!

I've just followed some guides for customizing Ircd Hybrid config (on Raspberry Pi), and usually they suggest to include an encrypted password authentication for any user, as per the related Ircd config section:

auth {
user = "*@*";
class = "users";
flags = need_password;
encrypted = yes;
password = "PASSWORD_FROM_mkpasswd";
};

Maybe I just have to consider to remove this if I want to allow joining from the BBS.

Thanks!

Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: Odusseus71 to all on Tue Jul 16 2024 09:48 am

Hello, a question from an (old) newbie to Synchronet BBS configuration: just a quick hint for configuring Chat Section Irc Client (irc.js) to access a private ircd-hybrid server: where to input the password required by the Ircd-Hybrid Server? The [chat_sec] section of modopt.ini does only allow to 1) set irc = on 2) override irc server/port and channel settings with custom ones. Exploring the module irc.js was not helpful to me.

The irc.js didn't support a password "override" (e.g. via command-line), i.e. it always sent to current user's password via the IRC "PASS" message upon connecting to a server. I just committed a change to allow the sysop to override the password sent via the '-p' command-line option to irc.js. Please let me know how that works for you.
--
digital man (rob)

Sling Blade quote #12:
Karl (re hammer): I don't rightly know. I just kinda woke up holding it.
Norco, CA WX: 83.6°F, 52.0% humidity, 7 mph W wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs

Re: Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: nelgin to Odusseus71 on Tue Jul 16 2024 12:29 pm

I don't think that is supported. I've never had to login to an IRC
server that requires a password in 30 years of IRCing.

Oh, it's not a rarity. The ability to login to irc servers using a password
is in every irc client i've seen.

also, you never used a znc/bnc? that's essentially like you are logging into a irc server that requires a password.

He should be able to login with a client using the quote command.
---
■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

On Tue, 16 Jul 2024 12:06:31 -0700
"Odusseus71" (VERT) <VERT!Odusseus71@endofthelinebbs.com> wrote:

Thank you for answering me!

I've just followed some guides for customizing Ircd Hybrid config (on Raspberry Pi), and usually they suggest to include an encrypted
password authentication for any user, as per the related Ircd config
section:

auth {
user = "*@*";
class = "users";
flags = need_password;
encrypted = yes;
password = "PASSWORD_FROM_mkpasswd";
};

Maybe I just have to consider to remove this if I want to allow
joining from the BBS.

Thanks!

---
￭ Synchronet ￭ Vertrauen ￭ Home of Synchronet ￭ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

How are people going to get on the IRC server, unless you only want it
open to BBS users and you can do that with I:line restrictions anyway, otherwise you have to make a password for every single user who joins?
Or you have to give out a common password? Doesn't make sense.
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
---
￭ Synchronet ￭ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com

Re: Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: nelgin to All on Tue Jul 16 2024 09:27 pm

How are people going to get on the IRC server, unless you only want it open to BBS users and you can do that with I:line restrictions anyway, otherwise you have to make a password for every single user who joins? Or you have to give out a common password? Doesn't make sense.

I seem to recall seeing one or two IRC servers with passwords in my time using IRC. And yes, one of the use cases is only having it be open to a certain group of users.

Nightfox

---
■ Synchronet ■ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.com

Re: Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: nelgin to All on Tue Jul 16 2024 09:27 pm

How are people going to get on the IRC server, unless you only want it
open to BBS users and you can do that with I:line restrictions anyway, otherwise you have to make a password for every single user who joins?
Or you have to give out a common password? Doesn't make sense.

This is a common occurance. you can join the server with the server's password. it's not a separate password for each user.

if the client does not support it, they can use a quote command.

it makes total sense. It's to prevent attacks and unwanted users. IRC is known for these things.

---
■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

Re: Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: nelgin to All on Tue Jul 16 2024 21:27:55

flags = need_password;
encrypted = yes;
password = "PASSWORD_FROM_mkpasswd";
};

Maybe I just have to consider to remove this if I want to allow
joining from the BBS.

Thanks!

---
■ Synchronet ■ Vertrauen ■ Home of Synchronet ■ [vert/cvs/bbs].synchro.net

How are people going to get on the IRC server, unless you only want it
open to BBS users and you can do that with I:line restrictions anyway, otherwise you have to make a password for every single user who joins?
Or you have to give out a common password? Doesn't make sense.

This is a common occurance. you can join the server with the server's password. it's not a separate password for each user.

if the client does not support it, they can use a quote command.

it makes total sense. It's to prevent attacks and unwanted users. IRC is known for these things.


hi there nelgin!

---
■ Synchronet ■ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com

On Tue, 16 Jul 2024 19:48:28 -0700
"Nightfox" (VERT/DIGDIST) <VERT/DIGDIST!Nightfox@endofthelinebbs.com>
wrote:

Re: Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc
server By: nelgin to All on Tue Jul 16 2024 09:27 pm

How are people going to get on the IRC server, unless you only
want it open to BBS users and you can do that with I:line
restrictions anyway, otherwise you have to make a password for
every single user who joins? Or you have to give out a common
password? Doesn't make sense.

I seem to recall seeing one or two IRC servers with passwords in my
time using IRC. And yes, one of the use cases is only having it be
open to a certain group of users.

Nightfox

---
■ Synchronet ■ Digital Distortion: digitaldistortionbbs.com

Must have been some odd, off the radar IRC network then. EFnet, ircnet, undernet, DALnet never had password protected servers.
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
---
￭ Synchronet ￭ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com

Thank you very much to everyone answering my question.

BR

Re: Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: nelgin to All on Wed Jul 17 2024 12:03 pm

I seem to recall seeing one or two IRC servers with passwords in my
time using IRC. And yes, one of the use cases is only having it be
open to a certain group of users.

Must have been some odd, off the radar IRC network then. EFnet, ircnet, undernet, DALnet never had password protected servers.

you just named off the shittiest scrub ircservers that have always been that way.
---
■ Synchronet ■ ::: BBSES.info - free BBS services :::

On 16 Jul 2024, MRO said the following...

Re: Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: nelgin to Odusseus71 on Tue Jul 16 2024 12:29 pm

I don't think that is supported. I've never had to login to an IRC server that requires a password in 30 years of IRCing.

Oh, it's not a rarity. The ability to login to irc servers using a password is in every irc client i've seen.

japanese ircnet servers have allowed connections outside of *.jp hosts for at least 20 years with the same password. i guess it was sufficient enough that it's not something the l33t hackers would think to search. and you'd have to translate the text to get the password (which might not have been easy until around 2006 without actual books or someone that can read it)

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: cold fusion - cfbbs.net - grand rapids, mi

I have 6 IRC connections that have been connected for a couple of weeks now. What are they doing? 4 of them show the same IP. I cannot see what they are doing. Is this good or bad? I just ignore them but should I be concerned?

---
￭ Synchronet ￭ Ricks BBS - RICKSBBS.SYNCHRO.NET

Re: Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: Rixter to fusion on Thu Jul 18 2024 09:56 am

I have 6 IRC connections that have been connected for a couple of weeks now. What are they doing? 4 of them show the same IP. I cannot see what they are doing. Is this good or bad? I just ignore them but should I be concerned?

If your IRC server is connect to vert and is up for a while, it'll become part of the rotating irc.synchro.net resolution. When that happens, any client that connects to irc.synchro.net might connect to *your* server.

Or, some one found your irc server by port-scanning or maybe a BBS listing.

Enabling debug-level logging will give you better insight into what that client is doing, but no, I wouldn't be concerned.
--
digital man (rob)

This Is Spinal Tap quote #41:
Ian Faith: It says "Memphis show cancelled due to lack of advertising funds." Norco, CA WX: 80.7°F, 59.0% humidity, 2 mph SSW wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs

On 18 Jul 2024, Rixter said the following...

I have 6 IRC connections that have been connected for a couple of weeks now. What are they doing? 4 of them show the same IP. I cannot see what they are doing. Is this good or bad? I just ignore them but should I be concerned? ---

people stay connected to irc a lot and just idle when they're not at the computer.. for example on one server i'm on i logged on June 7th and if i get disconnected it just gets right back on.

if it were a problem somebody would notice an extra 100+ users (or whatever) on the network and probably look into it..

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: cold fusion - cfbbs.net - grand rapids, mi

On Thu, 18 Jul 2024 09:56:42 -0400
"Rixter" (VERT/RICKSBBS) <VERT/RICKSBBS!Rixter@endofthelinebbs.com>
wrote:

I have 6 IRC connections that have been connected for a couple of
weeks now. What are they doing? 4 of them show the same IP. I cannot
see what they are doing. Is this good or bad? I just ignore them but
should I be concerned?

---
￭ Synchronet ￭ Ricks BBS - RICKSBBS.SYNCHRO.NET

Maybe.
You could see if you can turn debugging on and log what's being sent.
You could use tcpdump (linux) or some other tool for windows to snoop
their connection if they're not on via a secure channel.
You could connect to your server and find out who they are and ask
them, or check their idle time.
It's most likely stuck or forgotten clients but it could also be some
of those spambots.
--
End Of The Line BBS - Plano, TX
telnet endofthelinebbs.com 23
---
￭ Synchronet ￭ End Of The Line BBS - endofthelinebbs.com

Hello Digital Man,

here are some results of my experimenting on irc client, with the main intent of sharing my experience:

The irc.js didn't support a password "override" (e.g. via command-line), i.e. it always sent to current user's password via the >IRC "PASS" message upon connecting to a server. I just committed a change to allow the sysop to override the password >sent via the '-p' command-line option to irc.js. Please let me know how that works for you.

Yes, connecting by current user's password works (I only had to disable pw encryption in ircd-hybrid config) and this could fit the scope of my project, actually (connection of very few BBS clients/terminals running on retro machines like Amiga and C64).

Regarding the SysOp power to override the password, I understood that, logged as SO after changed the default irc address/port in mods/chat_sec.js directly, I could input a command like:

!EXEC ?irc.js -p "IRCPASSWORD" but this returned some js variable type errors (and, considering my very poor coding attitude, I did not insist).

So, the issue that is left (by using a common users password as irc password) is that irc.js/Deuce's IRC client module does continuosly rewrite/update a single line on Amiga's DC Telnet screen (both on WinUAE and real Amiga), loosing all the chat history.

I was so close...

Thanks a lot

BR

Marco

Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: Odusseus71 to Digital Man on Wed Jul 31 2024 11:27 am

!EXEC ?irc.js -p "IRCPASSWORD" but this returned some js variable type errors (and, considering my very poor coding attitude, I did not insist).

What errors? Why the quotes around the password? What shell support "!EXEC ..." commands?

There's a lot you're not telling us here. :-)
--
digital man (rob)

Breaking Bad quote #19:
Yeah, I know these two knob jobs. - Hank Schrader
Norco, CA WX: 86.9°F, 33.0% humidity, 10 mph WSW wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs

Hello Rob,

you're right: there is a lot I don't know about how BBS potential and mechanisms, expecially about Command Shells and SysOp stuff, I'm sorry and your patience and any help is really appreciated.

Here are my steps;

- I've changed IRC server/port in chat_sec.js directly, for not to rely on modopts.ini IRC settings (otherwise first steps below do not work);

- I connect to BBS by a standard account having password = ircd-hybrid server password, get to Chat section (C key) and activate IRC Cient (R key), it works and IRC Client connect successfully to my personal irc server based on ircd-hybrid;

- then, I re-connect to BBS and login by SysOp account, having a different password than the one of ircd-hybrid;

- If I get to Chat section (C key) and activate IRC client (R key), I obviously can connect to ircd-hybrid server but get "Bad Password" in this case;

- therefore, following the instructions in SysOp menu (! key), I enter the command in the bottom line of the Main page (and this is where my fundamental lack of knowledge and correct understanding of command shell comes out...), just after the names of current group and subgroup: !EXEC ?irc.js -p IRCPWD

- the IRC Module 1.62 starts but it does return the error: !Javascript irc.js line 126: Error: can't convert irc-port to an integer

Just as a note, my whole knowledge about BBS in general and Synchronet comes from the Wiki, of course, and this tutorial page: https://renaissancedork.com/bbsing/

Thank you very much

BR

Marco

Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: Odusseus71 to Digital Man on Thu Aug 01 2024 06:19 am

- the IRC Module 1.62 starts but it does return the error: !Javascript irc.js line 126: Error: can't convert irc-port to an integer

In the stock exec/irc.js file, line 126 contains: sock.bind(0,server.interface_ip_address); // Use globally defined intereface in sbbs.ini

Did you change this line?
--
digital man (rob)

Synchronet "Real Fact" #4:
Synchronet version 3 is written mostly in C, with some C++, x86 ASM, and Pascal Norco, CA WX: 78.4°F, 52.0% humidity, 0 mph W wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs

Nope, irc.js is untouched in the exec dir and this is the copy of the whole section:

/* Command-line args can override default server values */ if(argv[cmdarg]!=undefined)
irc_server=argv[cmdarg++];
if(argv[cmdarg]!=undefined)
irc_port=Number(argv[cmdarg++]);
if(argv[cmdarg]!=undefined)
default_channel=argv[cmdarg++];

default_channel=default_channel.replace(/\s+/g,"_");

sock=new Socket();
sock.bind(0,server.interface_ip_address); // Use globally defined intereface in sbbs.ini
history=new History();
screen=new Screen();

Also, no changes to the [Global] section of sbbs.ini:

[Global]
; Override system address for this instance (optional):
Hostname =
; IP address of network interface to bind to (defaults to ANY/ALL interfaces):
Interface =
; IPv4 address of network interface to use for outgoing connections
OutboundInterface =
; Override the SBBSCTRL environment variable (optional):
CtrlDirectory =
........

Thanks a lot

Marco

Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: Odusseus71 to Digital Man on Thu Aug 01 2024 11:36 am

Nope, irc.js is untouched in the exec dir and this is the copy of the whole section:

The error message you quoted mentions line 126 of irc.js. What is on line 126 of your exec/irc.js file?

The error message you quoted said "can't convert irc-port to an integer" - was that error actually copy/pasted, literally, or did you retype it (possibly with a typo)? The reason I ask is "irc-port" does not exist in irc.js, but "irc_port" does (underscore, not dash).

Anyway, the error seems to imply there was an additional argument provided after the "-p <password>" on the irc.js command-line. I'll re-test the -p option myself and make sure I didn't introduce a bug there, but the code looks okay at a glance.
--
digital man (rob)

Sling Blade quote #9:
Doyle Hargraves: Morris here is a modern-day poet, kinda like in olden times. Norco, CA WX: 82.7°F, 47.0% humidity, 0 mph W wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs

Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: Digital Man to Odusseus71 on Thu Aug 01 2024 12:14 pm

Anyway, the error seems to imply there was an additional argument provided after the "-p <password>" on the irc.js command-line. I'll re-test the -p option myself and make sure I didn't introduce a bug there, but the code looks okay at a glance.

I just ran the current exec/irc.js using the "exec" sysop command: "?irc.js -p password" and there was no error - ran as expected.
--
digital man (rob)

Steven Wright quote #4:
99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
Norco, CA WX: 82.7°F, 47.0% humidity, 0 mph W wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs

The error message you quoted said "can't convert irc-port to an integer" - was that error actually copy/pasted, literally, or did you retype it (possibly with a typo)? The reason I ask is "irc-port" does not exist in irc.js, but "irc_port" does (underscore, not dash).

Yes, a typo, since I rewrited the error shown in Syncterm.

Thanks

Marco

I just ran the current exec/irc.js using the "exec" sysop command: "?irc.js -p password" and there was no error - ran as expected.

OOk, will try again.

Thanks

Marco

SUCCESS: now it works for me, thanks a lot (maybe I made mistakes with irc.js versions between exec and mods dirs)

Still, I have to figure out why the Deuce's IRC client module only update one line on Amiga DC Telnet, whilst it properly shows the history on Syncterm (since I have experienced similar behaviour with ANSI screens not properly converted, I assume it could be related to Ctrl-A coding, in a way that does not affect Syncterm but does with DC Telnet).

Thank you very much

Marco

Re: Password setting for Irc Client accessing a private irc server
By: Odusseus71 to Digital Man on Fri Aug 02 2024 07:04 am

The error message you quoted said "can't convert irc-port to an integer" - was that error actually copy/pasted, literally, or did you retype it (possibly with a typo)? The reason I ask is "irc-port" does not exist in irc.js, but "irc_port" does (underscore, not dash).

Yes, a typo, since I rewrited the error shown in Syncterm.

Tip: Use copy/paste of log/error messages (right-click to paste in SyncTERM). --
digital man (rob)

Rush quote #84:
Looming low & ominous, twilight premature t-heads rumbling a distance overture Norco, CA WX: 86.0°F, 46.0% humidity, 4 mph WSW wind, 0.00 inches rain/24hrs