Freenode SASL Upgrade: Irssi HOWTO
The freenode IRC network has for a long time supported connecting and automatic identification using SASL.
Recently, the freenode network deprecated the commonly used
SASL mechanism DH-BLOWFISH
due to security concerns,
causing my IRC client (irssi) to no longer be able to authenticate.
Unfortunately, while scripts and guides describing using
irssi with DH-BLOWFISH
are plentiful, it seems the steps
required to use the new preferred
ECDSA-NIST256P-CHALLENGE
method are not yet documented.
Read on for a step-by-step walk-through of configuring irssi to use SASL with freenode in 2015.
Mysterious Lag Spikes and Faulty Switches
My residential internet experience has always been poor, so when I started observing bizarre network behavior a few months back I attributed it to upstream problems and wrote it off with a sigh. The issue persisted however, so over the winter break I decided to sit down and tackle it once and for all.
Tracking down the source of the issue was an interesting adventure, and ultimately the problem was in the last place I thought to check: a pair of TEG-S80g unmanaged gigabit switches made by TRENDnet.
Do not buy! :)
Details follow.