[Tutorial] How to use a GeekShed BNC

I've talked about GeekShed in the past. I use their IRC network to power the chat room for the website. Ever wish you could have a way to stay connected to the network, log the channels that you wanna log (such as yours), and hide your disconnects and reconnects? Well a BNC might be for you. This is a tutorial for getting a BNC, also known as a Bouncer, on GeekShed using their method.


For users who do not have that much about a Bouncer, it is essentially a program that connects to a IRC server for you. You can connect and disconnect from the server but your nick will remain in that chat. GeekShed BNCs are locked down and heavily fire-walled, mostly for protection. However you should have no issue using a BNC if you are just a beginner. A GeekShed BNC logs the last 200 lines of a chat in every chat room and plays back to you as soon as you connect back to your bouncer.

First off, however, I must discuss the restrictions on the BNCs:

1. You must have a registered nick on GeekShed for more than 90 days
2. Only one (1) BNC for a user
3. The shell is locked down and fire-walled. GeekShed runs a custom version of ZNC to suite their needs.
4. You can't load modules into the BNC. If you need to do this you'll have to ask a network staff member.
5. BNCs used for ban evasion or those who aren't logged into for 30 days will be deleted.
6. You can only connect to your BNC via SSL. Don't worry about this that much as you'll almost never notice that your are connecting via SSL already.
7. Your BNC will always be in #bnc for monitoring purposes. They aren't really spying on you.
8. You can't use a vHOST with their BNCs. vHOSTs assigned via HostServ are find though
9. You must first set your nickserv password with your BNC when it's first set up. If you don't and network staff find the BNC fighting with services they will disable it.

Getting a BNC

To get a BNC for GeekShed, head here. You'll have to log in using one of your nicks that you use in the IRC network. All you have to do is fill in the boxes for your BNC user name, a password, channels you want the BNC to automatically join and other info. Do not be worries as this is only a few second of your time.

Setting your NickServ Password

As soon as you connect to your BNC, you must set your NickServ password. NickServ is a IRC service that is used to protect user's identities. To set your NickServ password, enter /msg *nickserv set <pass>.

Connecting to the BNC

Connecting to your BNC will vary from client to client. Basically, set this info for your IRC client:

• Server: lucifier.bnc.geekshed.net
• SSL: Yes over port 8888.
• Username: Your BNC username
• Server Password: The password for your BNC

When you first log into the server, set your NickServ password. Sorry about the repeated reminders but network staff can and will disable your BNC.

Managing your BNC

After you have created your BNC you can manage it easily using a web management interface. It is identical to the interface you used to registered your BNC. You can also choose to delete your BNC if you wish. Personal information about your BNC, such as your password, is shown from this page so I decided not to take a screenshot of this.