Serving channel
Encyclopedia
A serving channel is a slang
term for a file sharing
channel found on an IRC
network. Here, users can share and download files including photos, videos, audio files, books, programs, etc. Users that are actively sharing their files are generally referred to as 'servers', whereas users that download without sharing their own files are generally referred to as 'leech
es'. While serving normally implies pirated or questionable material, some channels are used for fully legitimate reasons. There are two styles of servers, Fserves, and serving scripts like OmenServe.
commands and server triggers, a user can initiate a connection with the server. Once connected, the user will be given realtime access to a server's file archive.
. Once inside a folder, the user is able to retrieve a listing of what files are found there.
To request a file, the user enters a filename from the folder display listing, along with the "get" command.
s such as * can also be used in the search string to simplify a search. The search command will then return a list of files to the user's query window if any servers have a file that matches the search string.
If there are any matches for the user's search string, the next step is to request those files from the server. The user can copy and paste the returned match, along with a short trigger command, from the query window directly into the channel window. The request is then placed in a file queue within the serving script, and downloaded on a first come, first serve basis.
Users also have the ability to download the complete archive of a server's available files, commonly called a "list" due to the .txt format that the script's output code creates. To request a server's list, there is a separate 'list trigger' used.
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
term for a file sharing
File sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digitally stored information, such as computer programs, multimedia , documents, or electronic books. It may be implemented through a variety of ways...
channel found on an IRC
Internet Relay Chat
Internet Relay Chat is a protocol for real-time Internet text messaging or synchronous conferencing. It is mainly designed for group communication in discussion forums, called channels, but also allows one-to-one communication via private message as well as chat and data transfer, including file...
network. Here, users can share and download files including photos, videos, audio files, books, programs, etc. Users that are actively sharing their files are generally referred to as 'servers', whereas users that download without sharing their own files are generally referred to as 'leech
Leech
Leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass Hirudinea. Like other oligochaetes such as earthworms, leeches share a clitellum and are hermaphrodites. Nevertheless, they differ from other oligochaetes in significant ways...
es'. While serving normally implies pirated or questionable material, some channels are used for fully legitimate reasons. There are two styles of servers, Fserves, and serving scripts like OmenServe.
Fserve type channels
Using an Fserve script, a server is set up like an FTP. Using CTCPClient-To-Client Protocol
Client-To-Client Protocol is a special type of communication between Internet Relay Chat clients.CTCP is a common protocol implemented by most major IRC clients in use today. CTCP extends the original IRC protocol by allowing users to query other clients or channels, this causes all the clients...
commands and server triggers, a user can initiate a connection with the server. Once connected, the user will be given realtime access to a server's file archive.
- ex.: "/CTCP
"
Searching and requesting with Fserves
Once a leech has gained access to a server's Fserve, they can navigate through folders using commands similar to DOSDOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
. Once inside a folder, the user is able to retrieve a listing of what files are found there.
- ex.: "cd
" & "dir" (to display files)
To request a file, the user enters a filename from the folder display listing, along with the "get" command.
- ex.: "get
"
Serving script type channels
Using a serving script, servers have the ability to send files directly to another user using remote commands. The serving script compiles a listing of available files, and also listens for a leech to request a file. Serving scripts also allow for a user to search all of the servers in a channel at the same time with a single command.Searching and requesting with serving scripts
A user initiates a search by typing a 'search command' followed by a 'search string' within the channel window. Various search commands exist, including '@find', '@search', and '@seek', depending on what serving script is being used. Wildcard characterWildcard character
-Telecommunication:In telecommunications, a wildcard character is a character that may be substituted for any of a defined subset of all possible characters....
s such as * can also be used in the search string to simplify a search. The search command will then return a list of files to the user's query window if any servers have a file that matches the search string.
- ex.: "@find
"
If there are any matches for the user's search string, the next step is to request those files from the server. The user can copy and paste the returned match, along with a short trigger command, from the query window directly into the channel window. The request is then placed in a file queue within the serving script, and downloaded on a first come, first serve basis.
- ex.: "!
"
Users also have the ability to download the complete archive of a server's available files, commonly called a "list" due to the .txt format that the script's output code creates. To request a server's list, there is a separate 'list trigger' used.
- ex.: "@
"