News

Some not-so random news items. Feel free to submit upcoming events and other items to the e-mail address below.

• 04/10/2004:
  Added another server: atlantis.zanet.org.za.
  
  
• 03/10/2004:
  BabyServ home and voting pages updated to reflect new policies.
  
  
• 24/09/2004:
  BabyServ Founder level code deployed.
  
  
• 24/09/2004:
  InfoServ code deployed.
  
  
• 20/08/2004:
  Lost some servers, gained another one: anubis.zanet.org.za.
  
  
• 16/07/2002:
  BabyServ extended to allow for nicks to be searched for when using the LIST command.
  
  
• 02/07/2002:
  Added server sokar.zanet.org.za which is based in the US.
  
  
• 24/06/2002:
  ZAnet has introduced virtual world functionality. For more information, see the help pages.
  
  
• 12/06/2002:
  ZAnet will be introducing virtual world functionality (in short: no more nuking) in the very near future. If you're a power user and have the time and willingness to help us test a few things, please contact Sinbad.
  
  
• 19/05/2002:
  NickServ extended to allow a nick to be linked to an e-mail address, which will not be visible to anyone and only used as another means to recover lost passwords.
  
  
• 16/05/2002:
  Due to some silly routing policy at UUNET, the local ZAnet servers are no longer reachable by UUNET and MWEB clients. Please use the international server whilst we attempt to make them see the light. Also feel free to complain to them.
  
  
• 01/04/2002:
  April fool!
  
  
• 01/04/2002:
  Due to the fact that some of our opers have been unemployed a while, we need to begin charging for the use of ZAnet. We have arranged with Telkom and Megawan to collect time-based usage charges via your regular telecomms accounts. We are sorry to have to do this, but our children are hungry. Charges will be retroactive from 1 January.
  
  
• 15/03/2002:
  All ZAnet servers upgraded and renamed at the same time. All the previous server names will still work though.
  
  
• 20/07/2001:
  With the DoS attacks still an almost daily occurance, we upped the user count to 1563.
  
  
• 17/06/2001:
  antivirus.zanet.org.za integrated into the main site directory help/av.
  
  
• 08/06/2001:
  Up some more to 1542.
  
  
• 04/06/2001:
  ZAnet is once again under attack. Given measures taken since the last attack, we're continuing to operate without any major problems. The worst you'll see, is intermittent problems connecting to some of the servers.
  
  
• 03/06/2001:
  Up to 1269 already.
  
  
• 01/06/2001:
  Late Friday night and ZAnet is back online. 1h15 later and we cross the 850 count. Looking good so far.
  
  
• 28/05/2001:
  Once again ZAnet is being flooded by people who appear to have nothing better to do with their time than to flood and attack others on the Internet. At this point, we're uncertain when we'll be back online. For more info on DoS attacks, read this excellent article.
  
  
• 07/05/2001:
  Update facility restored for People section.
  
  
• 04/05/2001:
  And up some more: 1788!
  
  
• 20/04/2001:
  New all time high: 1757!
  
  
• 23/03/2001:
  New connection record: 1699!
  
  
• 18/03/2001:
  New look ZAnet web site launched.
  
  
• 22/02/2001:
  ZAnet is proud to announce our own small antivirus addition to our website aimed at combatting viruses and trojans that are specific to IRC. See http://antivirus.zanet.org.za for more information. This section is maintained by Sonic and DragonFly.
  
  
• 16/02/2001:
  Added yet another server (mystic.uk.zanet.org.za). As the name indicates, this server is in the UK and should be very fast for all people abroad.
  
  
• 06/02/2001:
  In an attempt to right the wrong, ZAnet administration is offering a reward of R4000 to any individual prepared to come forward with proof that results in a conviction against those who committed the Denial of Service attacks which resulted in the downtime of the ZAnet IRC network.
  
  
• 06/02/2001:
  And we're back online, with two more servers than before.
  
  
• 05/02/2001:
  Seems ZAnet made it to the local press: Computing SA. Lots of information and speculation as to why the network was taken offline, getting it wrong in saying that the servers "fell over" or "crashed", as well as the methods used to attack.
  
  
• 26/01/2001:
  As some might know, we've been the target of some gutless chicken(s) who are hiding behind spoofed IP's and like to flood IRC networks. DALnet and EFnet are also suffering from the same attacks at present. After lots of discussion, we have decided to shut down for a while to upgrade and regroup. We apologise to all our legitimate users for this inconvenience and hope to see you all in the near future on the new improved ZAnet.
  
  
• 15/01/2001:
  Slight stuff-up with DNS, which should be resolved soon. Use the IP address for is.zanet.org.za for now, which is 196.4.160.10.
  
  
• 13/10/2000:
  And this time it went really way up: 1770!
  
  
• 06/10/2000:
  And up some more: 1679!
  
  
• 02/10/2000:
  Due to abuse of MemoServ, a limit of 200 memo's per nick has been introduced.
  
  
• 28/07/2000:
  And up some more: 1673!
  
  
• 02/06/2000:
  Up some more: 1640!
  
  
• 26/05/2000:
  Up, up, up: 1592!
  
  
• 19/05/2000:
  Another new record: 1580 connections just before 23h00.
  
  
• 10/05/2000:
  Was brushing up on using the Atomz search engine on one of the sites I was working on, so I thought it might be a good idea to have one on the ZAnet site too, so there it is, at the top of the page. Enjoy!
  
  
• 05/05/2000:
  Seems the world didn't end today, probably since lots of people was on here waiting for it to happen. 1562 just before 23h00.
  
  
• 14/04/2000:
  1484 users online a few seconds after 23h00. Going up!
  
  
• 07/04/2000:
  1455 users online on ZAnet. One can see Telkom's R7 plan is back in action.
  
  
• 25/01/2000:
  Our thanks to Telkom for cutting a 140MB fibre and taking over 12h to fix it, causing a major netsplit for most of the afternoon and evening.
  
  
• 24/01/2000:
  Changes to BabyServ and MemoServ.
  
  
• 01/01/2000:
  Happy new year! ZAnet survived with no Y2K problems at all. Nor do we have strange 19100 years like some other IRC networks.
  
  
• 31/12/1999:
  More enhancements to BabyServ.
  
  
• 21/12/1999:
  BabyServ extended. See the BabyServ page for more details.
  
  
• 19/11/1999:
  1431 users online on ZAnet. Shutting down? Not!
  
  
• 13/11/1999:
  1367 users online on ZAnet.
  
  
• 29/10/1999:
  1354 users online on ZAnet.
  
  
• 22/10/1999:
  1319 users online on ZAnet.
  
  
• 18/10/1999:
  We welcome the avalon.zanet.org.za server, situated on the POSIX backbone.
  
  
• 15/10/1999:
  1318 users online on ZAnet. So much for some people's claim that this network is shutting down.
  
  
• 08/10/1999:
  As luck would have it, we picked up some major connection problems and random crashes on one of the servers. This server was reloaded and came back online late evening.
  
  
• 07/10/1999:
  After been given an ultimatum to hand over the user database on the 5th and given 2 days to respond (opers were usually given 7 days to respond, but they must have been rushed to get their grubby paws on it), most of the opers resigned from ZAnet. Given that they started advertising their new network on the 6th and that I like threats as much as the next person, and the fact that Services and its related databases where entirely my doing, they helped me make that decision: lose them! This decision was supported by other opers and we hence retained 3 servers and a hand full of dedicated people.
  
  
• 06/10/1999:
  It's with a sad heart that we say goodbye to the CSIR server. Just want to thank DLisha for maintaining it all this time. Believe it or not, but we do appreciate it. We also hope that she wouldn't be quite as busy workwise as she is at the moment.
  
  
• 21/08/1999:
  guru.zanet.org.za server removed due to bandwidth usage. Please use one of the other servers listed on the server page.
  
  
• 02/07/1999:
  Our thanks to Telkom cutting our line on a Friday night and then taking 6 hours to repair it. Did notice some 1100+ users online though, which isn't too bad considering that the R7 Telkom special has been ended and two ZAnet servers being out of action.
  
  
• 18/06/1999:
  And we do it again: counter to 1679 at 23h11 and the graphs to 1667.
  
  
• 11/06/1999:
  On the way to a new record. It's 22h17 and the count is already on 1553. 22h28 and we've reached 1610. 22h43 and we're on 1625. 22h58 and we're on 1654. 23h08 and we're on 1675. Graphs only caught the action at 1664 though.
  
  
• 03/06/1999:
  New Help in the making. Feel free to submit other questions.
  
  
• 28/05/1999:
  And again! Graphs all the way to 1528, whilst the official counter got to 1534.
  
  
• 14/05/1999:
  And we do it again! Graphs went to 1519. Noticed 1528 online a little while later, but the graph process missed it. Oh well.
  
  
• 23/04/1999:
  After reaching 1460 unofficially the previous week, we now managed to crack the 1500 boundary. 1503 was reached just after 23h00 and I mean just after. Graphs picked up 1491 since they only run every 10 minutes, so they miss some of the highlights.
  
  
• 09/04/1999:
  Yet another new record of 1449 just after 23h00. Saw 1456 users a short while later too. Seems the Telkom R7 special created a whole new bunch of IRC addicts.
  
  
• 27/03/1999:
  Added ethereal.zanet.org.za to service users from SAIX and IS.
  
  
• 26/03/1999:
  Recorded a new maximum simultaneous online users on ZAnet of 1332 round about 23h00. Saw 1339 users online a short while later, but the graphing process missed it. 30 minutes later and we're still at 1290. Another 20 minutes later and the counter is still beyond 1220. Why the extreme jump from the previous record of 1207 only 3 weeks ago? Well, one possible theory is that it's the last of the Telkom R7 weekend specials; at least for now. Any other theories anyone?
  
  
• 20/03/1999:
  People section now allows updates again, as well as the ability to delete and upload new pictures.
  
  
• 16/03/1999:
  Services web pages back online and latest help pages loaded.
  
  
• 15/03/1999:
  Services hub upgraded, so no more lag from there anymore. At least not for some time. Also extended MemoServ to allow for memo ranges in most of the commands, and added a READ CURRENT command which will show you all your unread memo's. The web site also moved to the same hub and upgraded to newer software. The Services pages are still being redone, so please be patient for a short while. Must also redo the update section on the People pages and extend it allow for picture uploads and deletions. The rest should be working fully, so let us know if it doesn't.
  
  
• 08/03/1999:
  Added lia.zanet.org.za to service users from LIA and IS.
  
  
• 05/03/1999:
  Recorded a new maximum simultaneous online users on ZAnet of 1207.
  
  
• 16/02/1999:
  sinbad.zanet.org.za removed due to bandwidth and security reasons. Will see what else we can organize for SAIX based users.
  
  
• 29/01/1999:
  Recorded a new maximum simultaneous online users on ZAnet of 1154.
  
  
• 29/11/1998:
  Updated the scripts for the People section to show the last time the entry was updated. If this field is blank, it means the entry was updated some time before 29/11/1998.
  
  
• 02/11/1998:
  Updated pages for dmsetup.exe as well as some new trojans: Back Orifice and Netbus.
  
  
• 16/10/1998:
  Recorded a new maximum simultaneous online users on ZAnet of 1085 just before 23h00.
  
  
• 11/10/1998:
  MemoServ memo forwarding will now not reveal the destination nick. Also added a nick privacy switch (SET PRIVATE) to NickServ to not reveal some of the nick settings to other parties. NickServ INFO will now show current/last address, depending on whether user is online or not.
  
  
• 14/08/1998:
  Recorded a new maximum simultaneous online users on ZAnet of 967 at 23h00. Saw 978 users online a few minutes later. This network is getting too big.
  
  
• 03/08/1998:
  Added HelpServ to Services to handle all the help functionality of the other services and to give more online help regarding ZAnet and its rules. Documentation on the web pages will come soon.
  
  
• 02/08/1998:
  Added our official Rules page and some more fixes to the Trojans section. Also tried to make the BabyServ page clearer by adding examples of what we require.
  
  
• 27/07/1998:
  Added a colour scheme and the first of the graphics. Thanks to ReBeL for providing the graphics.
  
  
• 17/07/1998:
  Added some pages tracking the usage statistics of ZAnet.
  
  
• 06/07/1998:
  Welcome to the new look pages. Got a bee in my bonnet to give them a new look, so here they are. Was going to do a competition to get some good natured soul to make snazzy new pages, but dropped the idea. If you think a competition would be a great idea, let us know and we might reconsider. Either way, if you have any stunning ideas and/or examples on how you think these pages should look, feel free to submit them. Obviously I still need to create graphics for the sidebar on the left and pick some colour scheme. All a matter of time. Also decided to drop the counters, since they didn't mean much anymore. If you disagree, let us know.
  
  
• 19/06/1998:
  Rumour started on #5fm that ZAnet will become a closed network. Not saying that it will or will not happen, but it was amazing how many responses we got after that evening. Seems there are many people who appear very worried about this. Maybe they have reason to be worried?