comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

track programs are not able to determine the location of somebody
using a direct satellite uplink. Unfortunately, the geostationary
orbit is quite far away from earth (36,000 km), so data requests
can be delayed by as much as a second. This second heavily affects
and delays all Matrix interactions. The Response of a hacker using
a geostationary satellite is thus halved (to a minimum of 1).
As an alternative, various low-earth orbit satellites are available.
They require a tracker dish to follow the satellite and pick up
another satellite when the original one comes close to the horizon.
A typical LOE satellite is visible for about thirty minutes. They
are fast moving, and the difference in signal travel time can be
used to determine position much more accurately (using standard
rules for track programs, p 219, SR4). As they are much closer to
Earth (less than 1,000 km), these connections are not affected by
satellite lag.
Beam Links
Beam links are connections between a sender and a receiver
using a laser or microwave beam to transport the traffic. A direct
line of sight is needed to maintain the connection, and neither
sender nor receiver may move. Beam links have the simple advantage
of not being intercepted easily, but they require complex
machinery. Laser links, however, are affected by environmental
conditions like rain, fog, or clouds, which might lower the
Response of a user by up to 3. Microwave links are not affected by
environmental conditions.
Software and data
Though nodes provide the stage of the Matrix, content is
needed to bring it to life. Something has to happen on the stage
and somebody has to do it. Software and data are the content of
the Matrix, filling it with buzzing life.
data Almost everything Matrix users do revolves about manipulating,
sending, processing, or creating data. Data is stored in various
places, ranging from optical disks and chips to the hard drives of
devices and servers. In 2070, everybody is able to record everything
they do all of the time. This includes all their communications, email,
phone calls, trid-calls, blogs, websites, as well as an enormous
load of sensory information coming from houses, cars, workplaces,
clothes, and much more.
However, data in 2070 is not only data. It carries extensive
meta-information of various kinds. The complete history of editors,
generators, programs, dates, and versions of programs used,
connections to other pieces of data like their location, search terms
used to find the data, and much more is stored. Most of the time,
the meta-information is larger than the data itself. This information
is especially important for data mining purposes, searches,
and bookkeeping. The amount of data available in 2070 is so vast
that finding a particular piece of data and getting its context is
often as important as the information content itself.
operating SYSteMS
Operating systems are the programs that control the functioning
of nodes. The OS manages resources and tasks, processes
data and input, handles accounts and authentication, allocates
memory, prioritizes requests, and serves as a platform for other
Unwired
software. It also provides a user interface in the form of the persona
for each user.
Operating systems also provide controls for the physical
device they are loaded on. Most OS’s are customized according
to the nature of the device, with various applications controlling
different functions. An OS designed for a toaster, for example,
knows nothing about doing laundry or making a washing machine
work—but the OS for a washing machine can tell you
details of its recent washing cycles, warn you about mixing whites
and colors, alert you when you’re out of bleach, and provide various
setting controls.
Operating systems can follow their programming and any
command inputs, but they are not capable of making complex
decisions. If you want a node’s OS to do anything that doesn’t fall
within its normal programmed routines, or you want it to follow
a complex procedure, you need to write a simple set of commands
called a node script. The OS will process the node script and
execute the instructions as ordered. Node scripts are perfect for
customizing a node’s security response. For example, the OS can
be instructed to launch IC, trigger an alarm, or send a message
when certain conditions are met. Depending on the access rights
needed to perform the action in question, any user can write and
store scripts on a node. Hackers can abuse this to trigger certain
actions at a later time or when a special condition is met. Writing
node scripts requires a Software + Logic Test, with the threshold
determined by the intricacy of the commands.
constructs
Construct is a catch-all term for the entities in the Matrix that
are able to make complex decisions, carry programs, and operate
autonomously. The list includes, but is not limited to, personas,
agents, IC, AI, e-ghosts, and sprites.
Due to their complexity, constructs need a constant stream
of information to and from the nodes they are accessing (see
Subscriptions, p. 55). Constructs can be attacked in cybercombat,
and the programs carried by constructs can be crashed. (For more
info, see Autonomous Programs, p. 110.)
personas
Though personas are sometimes confused with operating
systems, in fact they are the basic user interface an operating system
provides by which you access the device and the Matrix—a
so-called user shell. A persona is a combination control panel, web
browser, email client, and more. It is an integral part of the OS, in
that every operating system features a way for a physical user to
access the device and get online. The persona’s ratings are based
on the OS, but they are separate things.
The operating systems of nexi (but not peripheral or standard
nodes) can run more than one persona interface at a time, meaning
that multiple users can use the same device to get online.
Access ID: Every persona is given a unique access ID. This is
based on the hardwired access ID of the node, with an added signifier
indicating the account. This access ID serves as the persona’s
Matrix address and is recorded by all nodes the persona interacts
with, leaving a datatrail (p. 55).
Subscription Limit: The maximum number of subscriptions
a persona may maintain at once is equal to System x 2 (see Linking
and Subscribing, p. 212, SR4, and Subscriptions, p. 55).
Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9
51
Matrix topoloGy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .