[orf]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netsplit

[mirages]

Anybody knows why the netsplit was written

  *.net *.split

Why those stars and dots ?

[whafro]

I believe it's an effort to show a netsplit in the traditional form (server1, server2) without placing blame on a particular server.

Back when I IRCd regularly (and perhaps this is still the case today), certain servers would get a reputation for splitting more than others, and I think this network (and/or its ircd) decided to mask it without breaking the general format.

[nexxer]

It's to avoid showing the server names to the public on some IRC networks for various reasons including security through (some) obscurity.