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Erebus
Ok. So I'm re-reading the matrix section, and I'm finding all sorts of things I missed the first time through.

The way I envision that the new matrix works, is via multiple teirs similair to SR3's matrix but with an ever-present wireless overlayed on that. I can't see any financial or realistic reason to assume that the old telecoms are gone, just more obscured.

Basically at the bottom of this topology you have individual commlinks and nodes... all of which have their own little wireless bubble as big as their signal. These bubbles may all interact directly with each other as they see fit. You can spot your friend some nuyen just by aiming your commlink at him. Or the security camera can connect to the Security department's term(see the next paragraph)

The next step up are the Local terms. These are as described on p206. Basically, your house has one and the local shop has one, the big corp complex might have several (one for each department). The terms connect either via wire or wireless to the SR4 equivelent of the LTGs, which I'll get to in a minute. Terms also have wireless signal bubbles surrounding them so that as you walk into the StufferShack, you can connect to their terms public side and access maps, directories, latest sales, and so forth. To view more detailed data, you would actually have to logon to the term. So assuming your going in to work your shift, you'd login when you get there and have access to stockboy or cashier info on you AR via the local term.

Terms then connect via wire or wireless to the local TelComm provider, who is tasked with providing connectivity to the area's terms and maintains "LTG" wireless towers (think cell phone towers). Your comm-accounts are generally registered via this "provider", but could in reality be registered to any provider as all such providers interconnect at regional levels. I could easily see a nice Caymen Islands Telcomm assisting in all disposable commcodes.


So:

Nodes/Commlinks - (Generally small signal strength) - Small electronic devices
Terms/Hosts - (Mid-Sized signal strength) These are the equivelent to old Hosts.
LTG/TelComms - (Large Signal Areas) These are the "cellphone providers" of the 70s

I'd assume your comlink by default would connect to the Telcomms via your home term when at your crib, but then switch to roam mode, and connect directly to the "towers" when your out and about, or connect via other private terms that are wired to allow public routing over them...

Also three teirs is just the example I gave here, there could easily be more.

Mall example:(Top to Bottom) While at the mall you see the following

TelComm
Mall Term
Individual Store Terms
Comlinks of other shoppers / Mall and Store Devices in hidden more(or only allowing access from their respective terms with login privledges)

Corp Campus example:

TeleComm (though inside the building this is blocked due to RFblock paint)
Corp Term
Departmental Terms
Commlinks/Devices

Must sleep.. More this weekend... Feel free to comment, I just wanted to get some of this out there..
stormvane
The building examples are probably correct in every respect. However, your out-and-about matrix network is probably not so rigid. Remember that for two devices to talk they both have to be within the signal area of the weaker device. So there probably are not large wireless towers, but hundreds of smaller and cheaper towers spread out everywhere. The wireless matrix initiative was intended to get away from the formerly hierarchical matrix that could be crashed by taking out a few key hosts. Huge, high signal devices would be reserved for transmitting to sites with similar capability (probably military) or for reaching satellites.
Azralon
Note, too, that the wireless Matrix of the 70's is a mesh network, not a straight hierarchical infrastructure.
Butterblume
In Berlin, Germany, there is a pilot project right now (organzied bei citizens) to build a mesh network, that pretty much works like the Matrix 2.0: Wireless nodes building adhoc connections with each other, until they reach cablebound Nodes, and from there to the internet.

My point: the old wirebound matrix still has to be there, wireless can't handle the Bandwidth alone.

@Azralon: just like the internet was planned wink.gif.
Erebus
QUOTE (Azralon)
Note, too, that the wireless Matrix of the 70's is a mesh network, not a straight hierarchical infrastructure.

Ideally yes, but when I first read that, the true mesh network I originally thought of had my comlinks traffic hopping along other in range comlinks to reach the base node. Which is clearly not the case for many reasons, security being chief among them.

Ultimately, I am saying that there still needs to be a Matrix Service Provider, even if their wireless towers are just as common as telephone poles are today.

So when I have a commlink, I am always subscribed to the MSP network, as that is what allows me to get email/comm calls. I could go hidden though and turn this link off while still communicating with the devices/network around me.

So simultaneously I am subscribed to:

MSP - For receiving commcalls (Voice, Vid and Data), and to keep that link to your MMORPG open
MallCo - for directory, maps, and mall show info
BlitzRecords - for in-store specials and product location
John and Sarah's Commlinks who are waiting outside the store for "private" direct chat/game/cred etc..
Plus I see any ARO's or DOTs that happen to be around me, and while in Active I can see via AR any profiles others are advertising.
Azralon
QUOTE (Erebus @ Jan 13 2006, 05:39 PM)
Ideally yes, but when I first read that, the true mesh network I originally thought of had my comlinks traffic hopping along other in range comlinks to reach the base node. Which is clearly not the case for many reasons, security being chief among them.

The technical definition of a "full mesh network" is where every node has a direct connection to every other node. The SR Matrix is more of a "partial mesh," because not every node is within connection range of every other node at all times.

Normally mesh networks are a technical PITA because it involves craploads of (ultimately redundant) wiring. But, hey, go wireless and that problem vanishes. Now you just have range limitations to worry about.

Shadowrun Matrix security is remarkably (and necessarily) abstract; really the only non-encryption security that a node in an actual mesh network can have is either obscurity (the Stealth program) or filtering (the Firewall rating).

Even so, your data is going to have to pass through any number of unsecured nodes to get to you. This in itself is a form of lefthanded security, since the datastream can reroute itself a gazillion times on its way between points A & B and it's therefore very difficult to intercept any meaningful percentage of it. The Redirect action reflects this concept, as you hide yourself by actively rerouting your traffic through available nodes so someone else can't track you down.

This is probably why hacking in SR4 isn't a matter of negotiating your way from node to node; it's all about A) finding the node you want amidst all of the clutter and then B) tricking that node's Firewall and OS into giving you user access.

If there were Matrix 2.0 backbone ISPs, then it'd actually be "less secure" because it'd create networking bottlenecks. The modern-day NSA loves those things for obvious reasons.

I'm not saying that there can't be wifi ISPs operating in SR4; I'm just saying that they'd have to be yet another cluster of nodes integrated into the existing mesh.
Erebus
QUOTE
The technical definition of a "full mesh network" is where every node has a direct connection to every other node.  The SR Matrix is more of a "partial mesh," because not every node is within connection range of every other node at all times.

Normally mesh networks are a technical PITA because it involves craploads of (ultimately redundant) wiring.  But, hey, go wireless and that problem vanishes.  Now you just have range limitations to worry about.


True, though modern day switched networks act exactly the same way.

QUOTE
If there were Matrix 2.0 backbone ISPs, then it'd actually be "less secure" because it'd create networking bottlenecks.  The modern-day NSA loves those things for obvious reasons.

I'm not saying that there can't be wifi ISPs operating in SR4; I'm just saying that they'd have to be yet another cluster of nodes integrated into the existing mesh.


I think you mean less reliable... unless your refering to security through obfuscation on the datapath.

In either case, simply having MSPs shouldn't impact this either way. Think of the local MSP as a company that won the contract to supply Matrix services to Seatle. Their responsibilty is to maintain the wifi network, and to connect their network to the surrounding MSPs. Redmond could have a seperate MSP. and they'd have multiple connection points along the border, some physical, some wifi.

As long as they all interconnect (somehow) the MSP network is still a meshed network.... in the sense that MSPs peer with all neighboring MSPs. Not the true fully meshed network of today thats hell on resources, but more of a patchwork quilt overlaying the physical world. Cut out a patch, and the network/quilt still stands...
Azralon
I think you just rephrased my verbage, so I offer a thumbs-up. smile.gif
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