[ViewVC] Annotation of: cvs/ermyth/README

ermyth -- a set of services for IRC networks
=====================================================

This program is free but copyrighted software; see the LICENSE file for
details.

Information about ermyth may be found at http://ermyth.schmorp.de/.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
  1. Credits
  2. Presentation, and what ermyth is not
  3. Installation
  4. Command line options
  5. Getting support
  6. Reporting bugs

1. CREDITS
----------

ermyth was originally based on Shrike, however, this has almost 
all been rewritten now. We have also borrowed some code from Sentinel 
and ircd-ratbox.

Information about Shrike can be found at http://shrike.malkier.net/.
Information about Sentinel can be found at http://ircd.botbay.net/sentinel/.
Information about ircd-ratbox can be found at http://www.ircd-ratbox.org/.

2. PRESENTATION AND WHAT ERMYTH IS NOT
-----------------------------------------------

ermyth is a set of Services for IRC networks that allows users to
manage their channels in a secure and efficient way and allows operators to
manage various things about their networks. Unlike it's predecessor, Shrike,
services has a completely reworked form of channel management that feels 
somewhat like eggdrop and is somewhat more useful.

Services currently works with many irc daemons. More details are 
available in the config file.

Internally, ermyth shares more similarities with ircd than it 
does with IRCServices. Anope/Epona, Cygnus, OperStats, Hybserv, Theia, etc
are all based on IRCServices and as such have very old legacy code that 
none of the authors, except Church truly understand. Ermyth was written 
completely from scratch with the more complex concepts taken from 
various modern ircd packages, including ircu, ircd-ratbox, hybrid and 
bahamut.

ermyth is not a drop-in replacement for Anope or Andy Church's IRC 
Services. It is designed with an entirely different set of goals and as 
such should not be migrated to with the expectation that it will behave 
exactly like what was previously implemented. Ermyth is designed to act 
as a directory server, with alternative ways of getting to the data 
implemented as well as the IRC presence.

3. INSTALLATION
---------------

See the INSTALL file.

4. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS
-----------------------

Normally, services can be run simply by invoking the "ermyth" 
executable.  Services will then use the defaults specified in the 
configuraiton file and connect to the specified uplink server. 
Alternatively, any of the following command-line options can be 
specified to change the default behavior:

  -c </path/to/file> - specify the configuration file
  -d                 - start in debugging mode
  -h                 - print the help message and exit
  -n                 - do not fork into the background
  -v                 - print the version information and exit

Services also handles the following signals:
  HUP  - force a REHASH
  INT  - force a RESTART
  TERM - force a SHUTDOWN

Upon starting, ermyth will parse its command-line arguments, 
open its log file, parse its configuration file, load its database, 
connect to the uplink, and (assuming -n is not specified) detach into 
the background.  If services encounters an error while parsing the 
configuration or database files it will terminate immediately. 
Otherwise, it will run until killed or otherwise stopped.

5. GETTING SUPPORT
------------------

If you are stuck, or services are doing something really weird, or you have
some sort of brilliant idea, we have a channel on IRC! (Surprising, no?)
To access this channel, connect to irc.atheme.org, and join #atheme.

6. REPORTING BUGS
-----------------

If you find a bug in services, you must report it via the bugtracker; 
our developers have a tendency to forget things. Your bug is not 
actually a bug until it's reported.

Report bugs at http://bugs-meta.atheme.org/.
Revision:	1.2
Committed:	Wed Jul 25 01:05:17 2007 UTC (16 years, 9 months ago) by pippijn
Branch:	MAIN
Changes since 1.1:	+12 -12 lines
Log Message:	- moved to GPL - added license information to files
#	User	Rev	Content
1	pippijn	1.2	ermyth -- a set of services for IRC networks
2	pippijn	1.1	=====================================================
3
4			This program is free but copyrighted software; see the LICENSE file for
5			details.
6
7	pippijn	1.2	Information about ermyth may be found at http://ermyth.schmorp.de/.
8	pippijn	1.1
9			TABLE OF CONTENTS
10			-----------------
11			1. Credits
12	pippijn	1.2	2. Presentation, and what ermyth is not
13	pippijn	1.1	3. Installation
14			4. Command line options
15			5. Getting support
16			6. Reporting bugs
17
18			1. CREDITS
19			----------
20
21	pippijn	1.2	ermyth was originally based on Shrike, however, this has almost
22	pippijn	1.1	all been rewritten now. We have also borrowed some code from Sentinel
23			and ircd-ratbox.
24
25			Information about Shrike can be found at http://shrike.malkier.net/.
26			Information about Sentinel can be found at http://ircd.botbay.net/sentinel/.
27			Information about ircd-ratbox can be found at http://www.ircd-ratbox.org/.
28
29	pippijn	1.2	2. PRESENTATION AND WHAT ERMYTH IS NOT
30	pippijn	1.1	-----------------------------------------------
31
32	pippijn	1.2	ermyth is a set of Services for IRC networks that allows users to
33	pippijn	1.1	manage their channels in a secure and efficient way and allows operators to
34			manage various things about their networks. Unlike it's predecessor, Shrike,
35			services has a completely reworked form of channel management that feels
36			somewhat like eggdrop and is somewhat more useful.
37
38			Services currently works with many irc daemons. More details are
39			available in the config file.
40
41	pippijn	1.2	Internally, ermyth shares more similarities with ircd than it
42	pippijn	1.1	does with IRCServices. Anope/Epona, Cygnus, OperStats, Hybserv, Theia, etc
43			are all based on IRCServices and as such have very old legacy code that
44	pippijn	1.2	none of the authors, except Church truly understand. Ermyth was written
45	pippijn	1.1	completely from scratch with the more complex concepts taken from
46			various modern ircd packages, including ircu, ircd-ratbox, hybrid and
47			bahamut.
48
49	pippijn	1.2	ermyth is not a drop-in replacement for Anope or Andy Church's IRC
50	pippijn	1.1	Services. It is designed with an entirely different set of goals and as
51			such should not be migrated to with the expectation that it will behave
52	pippijn	1.2	exactly like what was previously implemented. Ermyth is designed to act
53	pippijn	1.1	as a directory server, with alternative ways of getting to the data
54			implemented as well as the IRC presence.
55
56			3. INSTALLATION
57			---------------
58
59			See the INSTALL file.
60
61			4. COMMAND LINE OPTIONS
62			-----------------------
63
64	pippijn	1.2	Normally, services can be run simply by invoking the "ermyth"
65	pippijn	1.1	executable. Services will then use the defaults specified in the
66			configuraiton file and connect to the specified uplink server.
67			Alternatively, any of the following command-line options can be
68			specified to change the default behavior:
69
70			-c </path/to/file> - specify the configuration file
71			-d - start in debugging mode
72			-h - print the help message and exit
73			-n - do not fork into the background
74			-v - print the version information and exit
75
76			Services also handles the following signals:
77			HUP - force a REHASH
78			INT - force a RESTART
79			TERM - force a SHUTDOWN
80
81	pippijn	1.2	Upon starting, ermyth will parse its command-line arguments,
82	pippijn	1.1	open its log file, parse its configuration file, load its database,
83			connect to the uplink, and (assuming -n is not specified) detach into
84			the background. If services encounters an error while parsing the
85			configuration or database files it will terminate immediately.
86			Otherwise, it will run until killed or otherwise stopped.
87
88			5. GETTING SUPPORT
89			------------------
90
91			If you are stuck, or services are doing something really weird, or you have
92			some sort of brilliant idea, we have a channel on IRC! (Surprising, no?)
93			To access this channel, connect to irc.atheme.org, and join #atheme.
94
95			6. REPORTING BUGS
96			-----------------
97
98			If you find a bug in services, you must report it via the bugtracker;
99			our developers have a tendency to forget things. Your bug is not
100			actually a bug until it's reported.
101
102			Report bugs at http://bugs-meta.atheme.org/.