We had most everyone at level 499 access, which is second only to the managers (Claudia- and Tink) at 500. A few people at sites we considered inherently risky were lower, so that other users would have access to alter their listings as needed.

499 is very high access, higher than is needed on a daily basis. But by way of being as egalitarian as possible, we put everyone there. But it's really very insecure, doing that. So, now, everyone has a choice. Set a password, and have high access (usually 499), or don't set a password, and be put at 100 access, where you'll be autoopped but won't have enough access to cause mischief that other users can't fix, should someone fool W into thinking they are you. This happened recently, and CService (the people who run the W bot) responded by lowering *everyone's* access (to 75). We have some new procedures people must follow before having their access restored.

If you want to be at 100 access, just let anyone with higher than 400 access know. To find someone's access level in W,

/msg w access #callahans (nickname)

If you want high access, you must first set a password. This password must then be sent to W every time you start up IRC, and occasionally at other times (like if your server was split from W and you rejoin).

To set a password,
/msg w@channels2.undernet.org newpass #callahans (password)

The "channels2.undernet.org" is W's exact address. This is to keep you from messaging your password to a fake W, should the real W be offline for some reason.

Once W has gotten your password, you must authenticate, actually *sending* the password:
/msg w@channels2.undernet.org pass #callahans (password)

*This* is the line that you will need to send each time you join IRC. You may wish to alias it, but be sure that alias isn't accessible to, say, everyone who uses a common lab computer.

Once you've set a password, let Claudia- or another high-level op know, and we'll alter your listing in W. The commands to do that are

/msg w modinfo #callahans access (nickname) 499 (or 498 or 450 or whatever)
and
/msg w modinfo #callahans autoop (nickname) on

If you have any questions, mail Claudia or ask on #callahans.