muh - a versatile irc-bouncer

muh [-f] [-c] [-d directory]

What is an irc-bouncer?

A bouncer doesn't do anything else than diverting a network-connection.

In case of an irc-bouncer, connections from your irc-program (client) are diverted by the bouncer to a irc-server.

"What is this good for?", you might ask.

Well, let's assume you've got a dialup-connection. If somebody performs a /whois on you it shows something like "yournick is yournick!yourident@dialup66-r-v.isp.at". If you are vain you don't want people to see this stupid hostname. So you get a account on a machine with a cool hostname (from now on refered as middleman), get muh running there and a /whois on you will show middleman's hostname, since the connection to the irc-server is actually originating from middleman.

Another advantage is that network-attacks aren't really destinating to YOUR computer but to middleman, which is in theory a machine that can't be brought down.

What makes muh special over other bouncers?

Muh is very straight and simple to set up and the probably most important and interesting feature is that muh keeps the middleman-->irc-server connection up even after you disconnect with your client.

This means muh prevents people from using your nick (this is especially handy on nets like ircnet, since there are no services like on dalnet etc) and tells people who message you that you're not there and logs what these people said.

Upon your next connect to muh, it will let the channels you've been in in your last session pop up, which means that you'll keep your status in these channels!

Besides that muh's got a very enhanced flood-protection making it (almost) impossible to disconnect muh.

-f

Stay in foreground (don't fork)

-d directory

Specifies a different directory than the default for muhrc, messages and log

-c

You will be prompted for a word to crypt. The output can be used as "password" in muhrc if you don't wanna have the password stored in cleartext. Note that you'll still have to authorize with the unencrypted password.

Muh accepts following commands to be issued by the client via /muh <command>.

Note that some irc-clients require a prefix such as /quote or /raw to send commands they don't know about.

HELP

Display supported commands

READ

Read received messages

DEL

Delete all messages

PRINT

Prints muh's server-list. Servers prefixed with '+' work, those with '-' don't.

JUMP [servernumber]

Jump to next server in serverlist. if [servernumber] (see PRINT) is specified, muh will jump to this server (even if marked as non-working).

REHASH

Reread config-file. Note that this can also be performed by sending a SIGHUP to muh (see kill(1)). If "realname" or "username" have been changed muh will reconnect to it's current server.

DIE

Terminate muh.

If muh came as a package all you'll have to do is to create a .muh/-directory in your homedir and copy muhrc there (it will propably reside in /usr/share/muh, depending on your os/distribution). Edit this file (see CONFIGURATION), MAKE SURE NOONE EXCEPT YOU HAS READ-ACCESS (see chmod(1)) and launch muh. To make sure muh's running all day there is also a file called check-muh that came with muh. Edit it as well and make crontab(5) call it periodically.

If you got muh as a .tar.gz-ball from the net you'll have to untar it with tar(1) and read 'INSTALL'.

The configuration is self-explaining; just go through muhrc to set muh up.

Muh is Copyright (c) Sebastian Kienzl <zap@riot.org> 1998, 2000.

Muh is licensed under the GPL (GNU General Public License). See file 'COPYING' for the exact terms.

Internet-References:

http://mind.riot.org/muh

muh-page

muh-request@mind.riot.org

announcement-mailinglist. the subject 'subscribe' will get you on the list.

http://mind.riot.org

the authors' homepage

http://www.riot.org

riot, a democrew

I won't provide irc/unix-newbie support since my time is *very* limited - so don't feel insulted when I don't reply emails questioning things like "What are these .tar.gz-files?", "Muh doesn't log messages even though I have '#logging 1' in my muhrc!" or "Does muh work under W*ndows?". Bugreports are highly appreciated but please make them as detailed as possible - tell me the exact circumstances that lead to the misbehaviour and the platform/os you use. Bugreports like "muh doesn't respond" or "muh segfaults" are really useless.

Also have a look at the muh-site before mailing me - your question might already be answered there.

For those who didn't get it yet: "MUH!!"'s the noise that austrian/german cows make. I have no idea how cows from somewhere else sound but I'm almost certain they sound the same.

crontab(5), cron(8), tar(1), gzip(1), chmod(1), kill(1)