Bouncer

What is a Bouncer?

The IRC Bouncer will create an alternative IRC server, that will keep your nick perpetually logged in to a set of channels (like #pioneer) and IRC networks (like Libera.chat), as determined by a configuration done in the web-interface of the bouncer service.

The user will then log into the bouncer's IRC network, rather than directly to e.g. Libera.chat. The user will then get a playback of all the history in all the channels since their last visit.

Important: When shutting down your computer/IRC client, do not manually leave the channel, instead, simply close your IRC-client, or disconnect from the IRC bouncer's network. That will keep your nick logged in,and start saving history until next time you connect.

How to set it up

When you're given an account on the bouncer, you will be given a username and password, let's call them "znc-user" and "znc-password". We have configured it for you to be logged into #pioneer, with your usual nick. You can verify, and configure it by logging in to it, using the new credentials. At a minimum you should change the znc-password you were given.

How to connect

Instead of connecting to libera.chat on port 6667, you will have to connect to the bouncer instead: 191.101.80.52, on port 1025. Instead of logging in with your nickserv nickname, you use the given one:

   <znc-user>/network:<znc-password>

("network" here is the name set in the bouncer configuration, e.g. "Libera")

Log in from multiple devices

The pioneer znc server supports the clientbuffer (and playback) modules for using the service from multiple devices, such that the user can have separate playback buffers for each device. You can set it up (add/remove/list devices) by sending the following messages in IRC (when logged in through the bouncer, as described in previous paragraph):

   /msg *clientbuffer AddClient <device-name>
   /msg *clientbuffer DelClient <device-name>
   /msg *clientbuffer ListClients

And then you log in to IRC by using

   <znc-user>@<device-name>/network:<znc-password>

Example

For this example, your regular IRC nick in #pioneer is "Anakin". It is registered with NickServ, to belong only to you. You usually login to IRC, by using these. For example, in Emacs IRC client:

   (erc :server "irc.libera.chat" :port 6667 :nick "Anakin" :password "theforce")

For using the bouncer, you now use the znc-user and znc-password, and a different server & port, such that the relative changes are (again for Emacs IRC Client, for your specific IRC client make the suitable changes):

   (erc :server "191.101.80.52" :port 1025 :nick "Anakin" :password "skywalker/Libera:Joshua")

Then (optional? / possibly first time only?) authenticate your usual nick name registered with nickserv, by sending the following message:

   /msg NickServ IDENTIFY Anakin theforce

You can also send message to the bouncer, to register your computer and phone as a two separate devices:

   /msg *clientbuffer AddClient computer
   /msg *clientbuffer AddClient phone
   /msg *clientbuffer ListClients

You will then always use (from your computer):

   (erc :server "191.101.80.52" :port 1025 :nick "Anakin" :password "skywalker@computer/Libera:Joshua")

to login to the bouncer using your IRC client. It will then playback the channel history since you last logged in using your "computer" device.