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comStar Firewall alert - PhaseThrough

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Matrix topoloGy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br />

54<br />

turn is connected to other nodes, and so on, through to the destination.<br />

These connection processes are hidden to Matrix users;<br />

a persona never “sees” the nodes through which it is routed, nor<br />

is there any possibility to log onto the nodes through which a<br />

connection is routed.<br />

routing<br />

A routing is established every time<br />

data from node A want to access node<br />

B, facilitating other nodes in between<br />

as routers. Due to the mesh-network<br />

nature of the Matrix, every wireless<br />

node can function as a router and will<br />

do so if not in passive or hidden mode<br />

(see PAN modes, p. 211, SR4). Even<br />

peripheral nodes participate in the<br />

mesh network routing, though priority<br />

is given to standard nodes and nexi. A<br />

construct is not aware of the nodes it<br />

is being routed through and cannot access them. However, a<br />

construct can analyze the traffic that is routed through a node<br />

(see Intercept Traffic, p. 224, SR4).<br />

How does a connection know what route it needs to take?<br />

What sequence of nodes it must hop through to reach its destination?<br />

Simply put, the node broadcasts a “routing request”<br />

which is then passed along by all nodes around it, and so on,<br />

leaving backwards pointers at each step along the way, until<br />

actionS HandLed BY<br />

data reQUeStS:<br />

• Audio/video communications<br />

• Database access<br />

• File transfers<br />

• Newsfeeds and updates<br />

• Social networking<br />

• Text/graphic messages<br />

• Website requests<br />

it reaches the target. The destination then follows the route<br />

request trails back, and a connection is established. To help<br />

such routing along, backbone infrastructure nexi maintain<br />

routing databases.<br />

If for any reason a node or group<br />

of nodes is dropped from a network, the<br />

Unwired<br />

remaining available nodes simply route<br />

around the gap, making the network<br />

self-healing.<br />

data requests<br />

In 2070, most of the traffic<br />

through the Matrix is caused by data<br />

requests. People want to read their<br />

favorite website, watch the morning<br />

news, or grab the latest episode of Karl<br />

Kombatmage. AR users want to get the<br />

profile of the person sitting at the bus<br />

station, read the history of an exhibit,<br />

or get the price tag of some item. Nodes want to read pieces<br />

of data out of databases, synchronize timetables with other<br />

nodes, and distribute data. Even phone calls and simsense<br />

broadcasts are packaged into requests.<br />

Nodes send data requests to the Matrix, and other nodes<br />

answer with the needed data package. Most data are protected by<br />

access rights, and requests are only granted if the proper access<br />

rights conditions are met (see Accounts, p. 52).<br />

Simon Wentworth (order #1132857) 9

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