blog: new post on getting help from opers

_posts/2015-01-24-getting_help_with_channel_issues.md

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+---
+layout: post
+title: "Getting help from network operators with channel issues when ops are away"
+category: [english]
+tags: [oper, irc, groupserv, hostserv]
+---
+
+In case you wish network operators to help you when your channel operators
+are away, please authorize them to do so. You can do this simply by
+command `/msg ChanServ flags #channel $oper +vhoirtAe`. *Note that this
+assumes that your network uses Atheme with exttarget $oper loaded.*
+
+If you don't do this and there is trouble on your channel, it can be
+assumed that you don't want network operators to intervene and they most
+likely take no action. Taking action would also require using operator
+privileges such as `/samode` which might not be so nice unless the flags
+are set.
+
+I repeat that the commnd is `/msg ChanServ flags #channel $oper +vhoirtAe`.
+The only thing that must be changed is `#channel`.
+
+## Explanation of these flags
+
+* v - allows using voice/devoice commands
+* h - allows using halfop/dehalfop commands
+* o - allows using op/deop commands
+* i - allows using invite/getkey commands
+* r - allows using kick/kickban/ban/unban commands
+* t - allows using topic/topicappend commands
+* A - allows seeing channel access lists and (MemoServ) sendops command
+    * most of our alerts seem to be coming from opers who are accidentally
+      using their priviledges and seeing access list of channel they have
+      no access to.
+    *  `<@ChanServ> Mikaela ACCESS:LIST: #channel (oper override)`
+* e - exempts from akick and allows unbanning yourself
+
+**NOTE THAT FLAGS ARE CASE-SENSITIVE**
+
+### Effects of misspelled flags
+
+Some flags change their meaning if written with wrong case:
+
+* V - automatic voice and allows using voice/devoice on yourself
+* H - automatic halfop and allows using halfop/dehalfop on yourself
+* O - automatic op and allows using op/deop on yourself
+* R - allows using recover, sync and clear commands
+    * recover - deop everyone, remove key, invite yourself, add ban
+      exception on yourself, unban yourself, set modes +im (invite-only,
+      only voiced users can talk), op yourself and other fun...
+    * sync - sync the channel according to access list
+    * clear - allows clearing akicks (+b flags), bans, flags, users
+      (=kick everyone)
+
+So you don't want to accidentally confuse different letters. `+VHOR` aren't
+so dangerous and you can freely set them, but avoid confusing +r and +R.
+
+## One last note
+
+`$oper` matches everyone who is opered and requires Atheme to have
+exttarget $oper loaded. Some other networks use different ways to add opers
+to be on access list.
+
+* queertech: `$oper` should work for you, but there is also `!netadmins`
+  which only includes netadmins and matches them even if they aren't
+  opered.
+* freenode: no `$oper`, it's adviced to use `*!*@freenode/staff/*`.