Assuming the addresses remained relatively constant, you could assemble something after doing actual traces, yes. But precisely how constant do you figure the info for anyone concerned about traces would be?

The part I'm referring to as impossible is the idea of a database that automatically has a set list of information, rather than a constructed database like this.

That is essentially what a cell phone does today. But if you do it on a global level instead of only in small cells where the phone has previously announced its presence, you'd only be broadcasting these pings and nothing else...

Also, remember that in an ad-hoc net, your commlink is part of the infrastructure. Somewhere a decision needs to be made which data the commlink will retransmit to another device in its vicinity, and that decision requires (relative) location.

A lot of the backbone is likely to be fairly static, because of efficiencies related to large volume, long range traffic, and of course how much of a pain in the hoop it is to change that stuff around.

As for devices which regularly hop identities, say every five seconds or so, they're a hell of a lot harder to track because your window of opportunity is much smaller. That said, if the manifestation of a new address is immediately taken and transmitted to querents, statistical location analysis can be applied as soon as the message can be transmitted. This becomes faster if you have a few backbone nodes.

Which is why you don't do that. No data is transmitted except local connection housekeeping until and unless it is relevant to a need. Moreover, you cache information related to the addresses of destinations such that queries are more rapidly answered.

If you had to look up and establish routes to google.matrix every time you wanted to find an address, that would be a huge amount of routing overhead. This is an infeasible model. However, if your upstream already knows perfectly well where to find google.matrix, your data is just sent directly where it needs to go without the overhead. The gestalt networking device which is the Matrix caches the information as an efficiency measure and that cached information constitutes part of the effective database communally retained.



No, that decision requires nothing of the sort. It can be done within your commlink based on its own capacities, as well as the number of links to other local nodes, and the level of complexity which they can offer.





You people are dragging me back into this world. It hurts.

Just when you thought you were safe, Koekepan, they DRAAAAAG you back in. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/eek.gif)

You guys talking about those old digital walkie talkies from the 20th century? That network is long gone. It's all matrix now. It's not like they're going to send helicopters when a SINless makes a call. I mean, you weren't planning on calling your family while out on a run, were you?

Seriously though, wireless gear should be assumed to not be tied to the actual character's identity and even frequently change any identifying numbers transmitted by the device. If your GM knows about radio fingerprinting, there should be an easy way to swap out transmitters from time to time. Your GM should not rule that undocumented networking equipment is blacklisted from the matrix.

Radio DOES still exist in Shadowrun 2075, though, and it is still useful. They even have a piece of gear (Micro-Transceiver) in the book that uses it. It is only Accessing the Matrix when its wireless is enabled. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

And knowing about the commlink's network neighborhood is what? Exactly, your relative location.

Absolutely. It's just that most of this thread seems to be about what people know about tracking cell phones, calls, IP addresses, and other legacy stuff.

Well, the question which started this discussion was about IRL cell phone tracking, seems reasonable the answers follow suit (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

That's fine. I have a standing contingency extraction contract with a couple of truckloads of rednecks. The price, in case you want to retain their services, is a pallet of beer, two jerry cans of moonshine, and a thousand rounds each of 30-30, 30-06 and 45-70.

Reasonable Price - Will have to keep them in mind. Got any contact numbers where they can be reached?

Aye, and it's darn near impossible to solidly identify any of those individuals even with forensics on the site afterwards.

They have no dental records and all the DNA is the same. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Numbers? Not exactly. Go to the junkyard round the back of the machine shop which sells second-hand John Deere and Kubota tractors, toss a few flats of chicken thighs (or a few chickens, if you're bored) to the dogs, and give ol' Amos a sixpack to take the message. They'll get in touch.

Got it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/cool.gif)

You should do stand up comedy at gaming conventions.