Editing XDCC

{{short description|File sharing service}}
{{Refimprove|date=January 2012}}
[[File:Xdccpacks.gif|thumb|A list of packs available from an XDCC bot]]

'''XDCC''' ('''Xabi DCC''' or '''eXtended DCC''') is a computer [[file sharing]] method which uses the [[Internet Relay Chat]] (IRC) network as a host service.

== History ==
Limitations in the original [[Direct Client-to-Client|DCC protocol]] prevented the transfers of very large files, or groups of files. XDCC was developed to allow batching of files together, and requesting/sending those files to others.<ref name="Securing">{{cite book|author1=Sachs, Marcus |author2=Piccard, Paul |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZU95ZdQ908C&pg=PA387 |title=Securing IM and P2P Applications for the Enterprise |publisher=Syngress |page=387|isbn=978-1-59749-017-7 |access-date=2013-04-09|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

XDCC was initially a [[Script (computer programming)|script]] written in 1994 for [[ircII]]<ref name="the book of irc">{{cite book | last = Charalabidis | first = Alex | title = The Book of IRC: The Ultimate Guide to Internet Relay Chat | edition = 1st | date = 1999-12-15 | publisher = [[No Starch Press]] | location = [[San Francisco, California]] | isbn = 1-886411-29-8 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/bookofirc00char/page/219 219&nbsp;– 220] | chapter = DCC: File Servers and XDCC | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/bookofirc00char/page/219 }}</ref> by Xabi. This script extends the ircII DCC command. Now XDCC refers to [[IRC bot]]s running [[file sharing]] programs in general.<ref name="steal this file sharing book">{{cite book | last = Wang | first = Wallace | title = Steal this File Sharing Book | edition = 1st | date = 2004-10-25 | publisher = [[No Starch Press]] | location = [[San Francisco, California]] | isbn = 1-59327-050-X | page = [https://archive.org/details/stealthisfilesha00wang/page/66 66] | chapter = Instant Messaging and Online Chat Rooms: Downloading files from IRC | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/stealthisfilesha00wang/page/66 }}</ref> XDCC bots serve one or more usually large files for download using the [[Direct Client-to-Client|DCC protocol]]. XDCC is commonly employed in distributing illegal content, such as [[warez]] releases of software, music, and movies.

== Features ==

Unlike [[peer-to-peer]] transfers, XDCC servers are often hosted on connections with very high upstream bandwidth, sometimes in excess of 100 Mbit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nipponsei.minglong.org/packlist/archive/|title=Nipponsei - Music Fresh From Japan|access-date=27 September 2015|archive-date=28 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928011553/https://nipponsei.minglong.org/packlist/archive/|url-status=live}}</ref> Often [[File Transfer Protocol|FTP]] servers are also running on the XDCC servers to facilitate uploading of materials to them. Many XDCC servers run on security compromised computers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cs.rochester.edu/~bukys/host/tonikgin/EduHacking.html|title=XDCC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180208122753/https://www.cs.rochester.edu/~bukys/host/tonikgin/EduHacking.html|access-date=6 June 2020|archive-date=2018-02-08}}</ref>

== Usage ==

A stand-alone IRC client such as [[mIRC]] or [[HexChat]] is required to use the DCC protocol. In order to receive files, the software has to be properly configured, otherwise downloads will be rejected by the software.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theloadguru.com/how-to-configure-mirc/|title=How To Configure mIRC For Downloading|work=The Load Guru|access-date=27 September 2015|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117211702/https://www.theloadguru.com/how-to-configure-mirc/|url-status=live}}</ref>

To use XDCC, one can send a private message (query) or send a [[Client-To-Client Protocol|CTCP]] command to a bot, using an [[IRC]] client. The user can ask a bot what files it has by private messaging "xdcc list" to the bot. However, this feature is often disabled as to not attract too much attention. When a user wants to download a packet or file from a bot, the user would type something such as "xdcc send #<pack number>" to the bot. The bot will either start sending the user the packet or the bot will place the user in a queue, and force the user to wait their turn. Some channels have special rules, for example requiring the user to join a second channel within a certain amount of time after starting the download to avoid interruptions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theloadguru.com/mirc-guide-troubleshooting/|title=How To Download With mIRC: Troubleshooting|work=The Load Guru|access-date=27 September 2015|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117211647/https://www.theloadguru.com/mirc-guide-troubleshooting/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Addons exist, such as XDCCKlipper (for mIRC) which listen to adverts listed in a channel by the bots and save them to a separate window to facilitate easier browsing and allow users to view the status of a bot (speed, queues, slots etc.).

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://xa.bi/files/irc/xdcc.3.3.0b.irc xdcc script 3.3.0 beta] - The original XDCC script
* [https://www.xdcc.eu German and Italian language file search]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040225095053/http://www.cs.rochester.edu/~bukys/host/tonikgin/EduHacking.html Security Paper featuring XDCC] on the [[Internet Archive]]

{{IRC topics}}

[[Category:IRC]]
[[Category:File sharing]]
[[Category:Warez]]
[[Category:Internet terminology]]
[[Category:Protocols related to IRC]]