dircproxy: Detachable IRC Proxy Server
-------------------------------------

dircproxy is an IRC proxy server ("bouncer") designed for people
who use IRC from lots of different workstations or clients, but wish
to remain connected and see what they missed while they were away.
You connect to IRC through dircproxy, and it keeps you connected to
the server, even after you detach your client from it.  While you're
detached, it logs channel and private messages as well as important
events, and when you re-attach it'll let you know what you missed.

This can be used to give you roughly the same functionality as
using ircII and screen together, except you can use whatever IRC
client you like, including X ones!


Features
========

 o Runs on console, as a daemon or from inetd.
 o Able to proxy many simultaneous users and IRC connections.
 o Uses IRC server passwords to authenticate.
 o Remains connected to server when you detach.  To reattach you just
   use the IRC server password again, no special commands!
 o Completely non-blocking throughout.
 o Can connect to servers that also require a password.
 o Can have a list of servers on the same network to connect to, it
   will cycle this list.
 o Throttles data sent to server to ensure you are never flooded
   off.
 o Can check servers to make sure they don't become "stoned".
 o Reconnects to servers if connection is dropped.
 o Can automatically join channels for you on first attach.
 o Rejoins channels if you are kicked off.
 o Can leave channels when you detach and rejoin when you come back.
 o Can take measures to ensure you don't appear "idle" on IRC.
 o Drop's unwanted user modes when you detached, if you forget to
   de-opper yourself.
 o Will refuse to connect to servers that set certain modes
   such as +r.
 o Can bind to any IP on your host to change your appearance on IRC.
 o Can change what username is presented on IRC without affecting
   other users its proxying for.
 o Can send a message to all channels to indicate when you detach
   and reattach.
 o Can change your nickname when you detach.
 o Sets you /AWAY when you detach, if you forget to do so.
 o Fully configurable logging support so when you reattach you
   can see what you missed.
 o Can limit the size of log files to avoid eating diskspace.
 o Log text recalled to your client is sent so your client sees
   it as ordinary IRC text.
 o Can timestamp text in log files so you know when it was sent,
   also can adjust the timestamp you see depending on how long ago
   it was sent.
 o Can make permanent log files for your own use of everything
   on channels or all private messages.
 o Can pass log text to a program of your choice (to send you
   an SMS for example).
 o Can adjust log timestamps depending on timezone difference
   between you and dircproxy.
 o Can proxy DCC chat and sends through itself.
 o Can capture DCC sends and store them on the dircproxy machine
   while you're detached, and even while you're attached.
 o Captured DCC sends can be made subject to a size limit and have
   the sender's nickname included in the filename.
 o Can tunnel DCC sends and chats through ssh tunnels.
   See the included README.dcc-via-ssh for more information.
 o Customisable message of the day for users which can include
   stats about log file sizes.
 o /DIRCPROXY command interface for users to do extra things with
   the proxy.  Fully documented through /DIRCPROXY HELP command, and
   the admin can enable and disable any command on
   a user-by-user basis.
 o Host and password based security.
 o Easy to configure and get running.

All of dircproxy's features are completely configurable and can be
enabled, disabled and adjusted through the configuration file.


Installation
============

See the file INSTALL for building and installation instructions.


Running dircproxy
=================


Once you have installed and configured dircproxy, you can run it
from the console.  It will automatically enter the background
(unless you supply the '-D' parameter) and begin listening for
incoming connections.

You should not need to modify your IRC client or add any
special scripts to support dircproxy.  Authentication is done
using the standard IRC server password, your IRC client should
support this. If you're not sure, try something like '/server
localhost:57000:password' from your IRC client's console.

Connect to it with your IRC client, supplying the same password as
you set in the config file, dircproxy will then connect to the IRC
server for you and begin proxying your session.

When you detach, dircproxy will remain running and remain connected
to the IRC server, logging any channel or private messages for you
until your return.

To re-attach, just connect with your IRC client, again supplying
the password.  dircproxy will see you have left a session running and
re-attach you to that instead of creating a new one.  Messages you
missed while you were away will be sent to you in such a way that
they will fill your IRC windows as if they'd just arrived.


You can also run dircproxy from inetd if you wish, although their
are very few reasons to do this.  See the file README.inetd for
more information on this feature.


Adjusting the Proxy
===================

While you are connected to the proxy you may perform a number of
actions to adjust your proxy session using the '/dircproxy' command.
For example, to end your proxy session, disconnecting you from the
server, use '/dircproxy quit'.  For more information on what other
commands are available, see '/dircproxy help'.


More Information
================

The dircproxy home page is at:

	http://dircproxy.securiweb.net/

dircproxy is distributed according to the GNU General Public License.
See the file COPYING for details.

Copyright (C) 2002 Scott James Remnant <scott@netsplit.com>.
All Rights Reserved.
