GLINE documentation, last updated on 18 Mar 2000

For an ordinary user, the syntax is:

  GLINE [<mask>]

If <mask> is given, and if a G-line for that server exists, all the
information about that G-line is displayed.  If <mask> is not given,
an error is returned.

For an operator, the syntax is:

  GLINE [[!][+|-]<mask> [[<target>] <expiration> :<reason>]]

If <mask> is not given, or if it is not prefixed by "+" or "-", the
operation is exactly the same as if it were issued by an ordinary
user, except that a list of all G-lines may be returned.  If the "+"
or "-" prefixes are used, the arguments <target>, <expiration>, and
<reason> must be given, even if the G-line already exists.  If
<target> is "*" and the currently existing G-line is a local G-line,
the local G-line will be erased and recreated with the parameters
given, as described below.  Otherwise, if the G-line currently exists,
a prefix of "+" will cause an inactive G-line to be activated, whereas
a prefix of "-" will cause an active G-line to be deactivated.  If an
attempt is made to modify a G-line set by a U-lined service such as
Uworld, the change will be forced to be local.  If the mask would not
be permitted due to it being too wide or affecting too many users
(governed by the GLINEMAXUSERCOUNT feature), the "!" prefix may be
used to force the G-line to be set anyway.

If the G-line does not already exist, it is created. The <target>
parameter is used to select whether the G-line is only to apply to a
single server (which need not be the local server) or to the whole
network; if <target> is not given, it is assumed to be the local
server.  This could be useful if a single particular link is having
problems, for instance.  The <expiration> parameter is a number of
seconds, not to exceed 7 days, for the G-line to exist.  The <reason>
argument is mandatory and should describe why this particular G-line
was placed.  The <mask> parameter must be a user@host mask; the host
component must contain at least 2 non-wildcarded subdomains or, if it
is an IP address, at least 16 bits.  Normally, the host component may
not contain *any* wildcards, but that can be overridden with the "!"
prefix, as indicated above, if the operator has the WIDE_GLINE
privilege.

For a server, the syntax is:

  <prefix> GL <target> (+|-)<mask> <expiration> <lastmod> :<reason>

The <target> may be a server numeric or the character "*", for a
globally scoped G-line.  The <mask> argument is a server name, and
must be prefixed by one of "+" (to indicate an active G-line) or "-"
(to indicate an inactive G-line).  The parameter <expiration> is a
total number of seconds the G-line is to live for, and <lastmod> is
used for versioning.  Since GLINEs are propagated during netbursts,
there must be some way of resolving conflicting states, which is the
reason for this argument, and is also the reason G-lines cannot be
deleted, only deactivated.  The <reason> parameter indicates the
reason the G-line was placed.

If a GLINE is received with a <target> of "*", any G-lines with local
scope are deleted, in preference for the globally scoped version.  If
the G-line already exists, the values of <lastmod> are compared; if
the received <lastmod> is less than the stored <lastmod>, the existing
G-line is resent to the server from which the GLINE message was
received; otherwise, the G-line is activated or deactivated, depending
on the <mask> prefix.  If the G-line does not currently exist, it is
created with the parameters given.

For a U-lined server, this syntax should be used:

  <prefix> GL <target> +<mask> <expiration> :<reason>
  <prefix> GL <target> -<mask>

The <lastmod> parameter will be assumed to be 0.