The IRC tools may be configured always to allow particular ISP connections, which may help in pinning down a hacker's location. With a little deductive reasoning you can pin down who hacked your machine, what his name is, where he lives, and even his favorite corner liquor store. There are literally dozens of IRC networks. The most popular are DALnet, EFNet, and Undernet. Each IRC network is composed of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of channels where individuals with similar interests can chat realtime with one another.
Channels are dynamic by nature.
A channel is created the first time someone enters and destroyed when the last person leaves. On some networks, such as DALnet and Undernet, channels can be registered after creation. Registration allows the creator to become a channel operator every time he logs on to his channel. Registration assigns ownership of a channel. Many IRC networks, including the ever popular EFNet, don't have channel registration.