Matrix questions, active alerts and tracking Options

[jklst14]

I'm playing a Hacker for the first time tomorrow and I've been re-reading the rules/FAQ/Errata/Dumpshock extensively. After doing a lot of searching, I have a few questions still.

1. Active Alerts:

Can I set my own commlink on Active Alert and gain the plus +4 to Firewall? Could I do this for my smartlink or for my drones? If yes, is there any drawback for being on an Active Alert? I could imagine some type of performance hit (either system or response) but I didn't see any mention in the rules.

2. Tracking

If I'm talking to someone on the telephone and assuming they're not using an anonymizer node, can I use the Track program to find their physical location (like tracking a persona)?

If I just have their commlink number, could I track them? And if yes, how? (assuming they're not 'running silent' as stated on page 214)?

What if I have the access ID instead? Can I use that to track them down (assuming they're not in hidden mode)?

I picture an access ID like a MAC address (hardwired). Is that true? Or is it more like an IP address (assigned by an MSP)?


Thanks for the help,

JKL