Hey there, chummers. I'm new to the forums, and fairly new to Shadowrun. I'm currently running a campaign, and it's going pretty well, but there's a few things about the rules I don't understand - particularly about commlinks.

A commlink can be run in one of three modes - active, passive, or hidden. As I understand it, if a commlink is in passive mode, it will not accept incoming connections unless you specifically allow them. Why, then, would any 'runner ever run their commlink in active mode? If I'm reading the rules correctly, you can still do everything in passive mode that you can do in active mode, but you're protected from unwanted AR.

The problem is that sometimes I want to give my players information via AR, but they've taken to always leaving their comms in passive mode (if in public) or hidden mode (when on runs). It's my understanding that most people in, say, Seattle leave their comms in active mode most of the time, if not all of the time.

So, can someone help explain to me the difference between active and passive mode, and why a shadowrunner would want to use the former?

In passive mode you don't broadcast your ID to the cops passing by, which will be seen as irregular behavior in many places and is illegal in the higher class areas.

If you runners are walking around with one commlink loaded with their only fake sin (or even their real one for the sinners), they're just asking to be caught and linked to every crime they committed.
What they should be doing, if they have to walk around with their main link, is run it hidden with a skinlink to their gear, with a second cheap link loaded with their public fake sin running active. Leave the public link at home when running, and everything should be peachy.

When running a commlink, your PAN is identified by an Access ID, right? (Which can be modified in software, temporarily, or in hardware, permanently, with the appropriate skills.) How is that Access ID connected to a SIN? Is your SIN encoded somehow in your Access ID? Does anyone who can see your Access ID know your SIN? Or are they separate?

Different, but usually easily associated

Also have a secondary set of comms shut off but available. If anyone suspects the comms are compromised, they call out a pre-arranged keyword and everyone in the group shuts off their primary comms, destroys them, and switches to the secondaries.

It's just being careful.





-karma

Think of SINs as a logon to a website, and your access ID as a particular PC. That's pretty close to it. You can run your SIN (log on to your screen name) at any commlink (computer), and all it takes is a short test (Spoof, IIRC) to change your access ID.

But, just like in real life, people can track the real person based on what IP adress they are dialing from, regardless to what account they are on.

true, for landline isp delivered services.

with a public wifi service, it can be trickier. What you can do there is shut down at one point, fire up again some clicks down the road, change the mac address of the wifi card, and request a new ip address from the system.

this would be the sr equivalent of turning of the comlink, traveling some distance, and then spoof a new access id.

Legal ID is connected to SIN, but it can be spoofed or provided by "black" provider, who doesn't care about your SIN.

From SR4:

So it's your decision, what data will your commlink broadcast - just sometimes part of it is enforced by local law. If not, you don't need to broadcast your ID or anything.

Active mode - yes, it's mostly useless for runner's link. But sometimes it's required (at airports, for example), and it's default for any new commlink. Besides, it's much easier to grab a piece of data from some wage slave's link, when he's running active.

Let me see if I understand this correctly.

Your Access ID is sort of like your MAC address - it's a built-in part of your commlink. It can be changed temporarily through software, or permanently through hardware. Your SIN is like your SSN - it's something assigned to an individual.

Let's say I want to do something like in the story at the beginning of the Matrix chapter in SR4A, where Slamm-O! controls a drone by figuring out the access ID of the rigger commanding it, and then spoofs his access ID to send it falsified commands. How, exactly, did he do that? Specifically, how did he find out the rigger's access ID without ever hacking the drone's firewall?

Exploit + Hack the drone, which point you're already in and can do things so impersonating the Rigger is pointless.

Scan for the Rigger commlink, then Analyze for figuring out the accessID, then Spoof the Drone. Less intrusive and less risky, but takes longer.

And in the case of the Story between Slamm-O and Netcat, he intercepted her communications (as he is incapable of hacking her Biological Node, she is after all a Technomancer) and grabbed her Access ID and then spoofed it himself...

Keep the Faith

Actually, he had been given her Access ID before by FastJack, for unspecified reasons. If he were to have instead intercepted her communications to find her access ID, how would he have done that? (If I understand correctly, it's Hacking + Sniffer, with a possible Computer + Browse check to identify the correct data stream. Unless she's in VR, in which case it's Matrix perception?)

To bring this back to modes, in what mode would a drone normally be running? If it's hidden, then you'd need to make an EW + Scan (4) check, but can a drone whose PAN is in hidden mode send/receive signals?

I'm sorry for all the slightly noobish questions, but I've read the Matrix chapter several times and I still feel like I have no intuition for what things can and can't be done, and how to do the things that can be done. This hasn't been an issue up until now, since one of my players is bringing in a new character who is a hacker.

Hidden isn't off, it's just not announcing itself to other devices or answering any connection requests from unauthorized devices.

Mesh wireless networking means you never know whether the packet you just sniffed came from 10m or 10,000m away unless geographically local network neighbors send out some sort of presence signal to let you know. Hidden nodes just don't send out those signals.

Ahhh, was not aware that Fastjack had provided the Acess ID... However, tehy were in AR mode from all appearances and yes, it would have been hacking + Sniffer, after which he would have had to decrypt it (assuming that she runs encrypted transmissions), at which point he could then have obtained the ID...

As for Drone Modes... I would assume that the vast majority of them are running in Hidden Mode and are encrypted... so you would have to find them with Scan (with a probable threshold around 15 or so for the vast number of signals that are likely present, to isolate the specific drone), and then decrypt the signals, and then you would be able to hack it...

Good Luck...

Keep the Faith

i think matrix perception works even in AR...

that is, if it has a icon, you can use matrix perception on said icon to get the data, no matter the interface mode.

Certain places - airports, train stations (yes, even "just the metro"), courts, and so on - absolutely require your 'link to be in active mode. If a camera sees a person at X,Y,Z position, but the computer network doesn't see a commlink's RF signature at that same spot? RED FLAG, and a nice security man, complete with a shiny badge, will stop by for a few questions.


Most people everywhere in the world leave their 'link in active mode, all the time.

Introductory Fiction Mechanics, provided by Tiger Eyes and Aaron

I would assume most Secure things like Tactical Networks, Drones, and other Important Things tend to run Hidden Mode. They don't broadcast their ID's, transmit unnnecessarily - but they do talk to other things on their subscription list. Like the rigger controlling a drone.

When you think about it, intercepting signals from a device in hidden mode should be a lot easier to track, just because there are so few of them. So it should be easier to track(trace?) down what it's actually connected and talking too.


Edit: Also, the hidden/active/passive mode rules make a -lot- more sense when you realize most runners have two commlinks. One for day-to-day life, pretending to be someone, buying stuff at the stuffer shack, and recieving all that annoying-but-useful ARO stuff. The other one, that's probably in their head, in hidden or wireless off, to hide their hackware and blackmail material and other shadow-related stuff you'd rather not have on your Public, Active mode, hackable commlink.

Holy cow, that's really cool! Thank you very much for that link.

(What happened on Slamm-O!'s date with Netcat? Inquiring minds want to know!)

Well net-cat's now pregnant and there's been hints that Slamm-O is responsible so it either went smashingly well or at least well enough that further engagements followed up.

If my 'link is in active mode, all the devices in my PAN are seen by anything that access it? So it doesn't matter whether my peripherals are in active or hidden mode? Does it also mean that every 'link in active mode shows every piece of gear in their PANs, like cyberware and weapons, so everyone can be scared and run away?
If that's the case, using a secondary commlink in active mode as a social disguise wouldn't point to the primary (the main hub of the PAN with hacking tools etc) and thus to the other peripherals?
I'm confused...

Oh man, next to missing a higher Perception skill in building my first SR(4A) character as a newb, this stuff on having more than one commlink to run a minimal/non existent digital finger print is the kind of thing I wish I knew before.

So if I understand it right, I could have a cheap commlink in active running my fake SIN so I appear as just another bottom rung putz that the cops/sec can safely ignore as they have seen my kind a million times before, then another disposable commlink running hidden to talk with other team members, then one last hidden commlink that makes sure all the tech on my person is working just fine?

I am still having trouble understanding the minimal software I should have too. I don't have to buy copies of my legal/common software for all my commlinks do I? Here is what I am using under my previous ignorance of how to be a better runner, only a personal hidden comm:

Hermes Ikon: Iris Orb, Skinlink; Mapsofts 6 Datasofts 6

Do I have to buy skinlink for all the accesories as well? Do I mention all the stuff I was guessing runs through the commlink too or does smartgun system bypass a commlink? Or the subvocal microphone system? Or other things like the jammer or tag eraser?

And then there is software... missing so much software that now seems like it would be important for not getting hacked and just hoping that by running stuff through a skinlink would take care of that for the most part, last thing I want to happen is sudden have my contacts/goggles filled with AR spam and the pistol eject its clip in the middle of a fight that I was trying to avoid in the first place unless that is the job.

Why not using only two 'links? Understand that you have to switch between then when trying to chat, or check your gear, or when security approaches. You only need to have a decoy 'link in active mode, subscribed to legal gear (earbuds, cybereyes etc) thus broadcasting an apparently legal PAN and public profile (that you use in the places that demands active mode), and a main 'link in hidden mode, subscribed to all the peripherals except to the decoy 'link (so it won't be obvious), with hacking programs (that you use for hacking, and other illegal stuff). Changing between them is matter of choosing which one will be displayed in the matrix interface devices.

IDEM


I think you have to buy a copy for every commlink... But using one commlink is not ignorance. To me, it only seems you're not a hacker. Anyway, important files can aways be stored at non wired devices (like pen drives), highly secured storage nodes (with a certain fee, of course), encrypted etc.
Well, if a good hacker is determined to get something from you, i believe he can find your hidden commlink (decoy 'links seems to be a common 'runner praxis) and get whatever is inside, unless you just turn it off or have a hacker (or decker, as i prefer) assistance.
I believe a good Analyse program always running is important, and also Stealth (to make Matrix Per. tests harder). You need a good Firewall too. Probably an agent running with combat programs can protect you from mid-level hackers, or make things harder for a good one.

I'm a newbie, so correct me if I'm wrong! =D

You could also simply keep cycling through a set of spoofed accessIDs on a single commlink.

Your commlink has an accessID, so do your devices. The devices in your PAN can be hidden while the commlink is in Active Mode. The commlink in Active mode is sitting there screaming "Here I am, I'm here, my name is 78906&*Z%78957895675!" to everyone. Scanning devices do not need to connect or subscribe or go look to see that. Since the scanning device does not subscribe or connect to your Active Mode commlink, it will not see the Hidden Mode devices in your PAN.

Active Mode means you are sending out wireless signals telling everyone who and where you are.
Passive Mode means you will say who and where you are when asked.
Hidden Mode you will only respond to subscribed devices.

The distinction is that while your Active Mode device may very well be easy to detect and be seen, to find out what it;'s connected to, someone has to not just see that it is there, but they also have to log on to it and get it's subscription list, which is a separate step.

Note that a Scan might find your Hidden Mode Devices, but it is quite challenging to do so.

About that skinlink scheme: i believe a single hit in a Matrix Perception Test could trace that link beetween the decoy and the hidden commlink (something an experienced hacker would definitely try).

Slaving is a good way to avoid peripherals to leave unwanted datatrail, but have in mind that most of the gear have very low signal rating (or can be custumized this way), which can prevent direct hacking attempts.

>The best way to avoid Hacking, and the average Joe knows it, is simply turning the damn 'link OFF when you get suspicious!

Thanks, Dire Radiant. That was a great answer.

But i have other questions: doesn't an active node allow public subscriptions (not user subs.)? I've understood that it permits other devices to send messages or start a conversation, spams to pop up, etc. (i thought it looked like some sort of subscription...).

If it's not only your 'link but actually our PAN that stays in active mode (as stated in SR4 core) why would a hidden device, subscribed to the 'link, not be shown? I thoght a hidden peripheral just doesn't allow other nodes apart from the ones in its subscription list to have access. That seems to be different of not showing up in the PAN's subscription list...



I thought spoofing an ID to your commlink is an action that takes a few minutes (you need to associate it with your commcode, SIN, peripherals etc). So i don't understand how a set of spoofed IDs could help at all, if creating an ID alone is not the part that takes most of the time in spoofing. Anyway, maybe an Agent could do the cycling job. Am I wrong?

Just think of all that pass through traffic as running through a different part of your commlink dedicated to that purpose, where it cannot do anything other then pass through.




Hidden Mode, the Device will not reply unless it gets the communication requests from the subscribed device. So your short range Hidden Device will only reply to communication requests from your Commlink because it is the subscribed device. It will not answer any other requests. If the signal range is short, or a skin link, nothing else will pick up the signal. Since it doesn't announce itself, other systems don't display it.




Agents are awesome for tasks like this.

Er, seems I was misunderstood. So I will try to clarify why I think I need my 3 commlink setup on a character to be effectively in the shadows.

1st Cheap Commlink = Joe Public Fake SiN is who I want society to think I am ... if the identity goes sour, I toss it ... if I have more than one identity, I have more than one commlink, additional identities and commlinks stashed away for if needed to run when a identity is blown.

2nd Cheap Commlink = Team Communication aka I don't trust my team's hacker or pretty much anyone with info that can get my character back in the "justice" system. This is the phone #, email, chatroom, etc that I let other runners have ... again, I think it went sour, I toss it and replace it cheap.

3rd Decked To The Nines Commlink Skinlinked and Progs = its tucked into my underwear or the bottom of a shoe or whatever is still considered ideally hidden and skin linked (not in head necissarily, I like no essence loss for my adept), there is really no reason it should be talking to anyone at all but my own personal gear because I thought a commlink talks with my gear. I want to be sure as possible that what my guncam is telling me is the god's honest truth or that my mapsoft isn't giving me bad directions and so on. Its like my personal ledger of dirty tech tricks on my person.

Note: None of these commlinks talk to each other. But can commlinks share accessories like image linked glasses and AR gloves?

Right now, all I have on the character is one barely decked out commlink, totally hackable if touched, I think it has my fake SiN on it (not sure where the identity the character was born with that is a criminal SiN is stored). So, my fellow team mates know the fake SiN and my runner nickname. From reading threads like this here, I realized that when I chat with team mates, I can't be dialed down signal at strength 0 aka skinlink, but I picked up that micro-transceiver 6 so do my communications even pass through the commlink and it can stay dialed down? Regardless, I possibly steal, kill, and all other sorts of mayhem with these other characters, what reason do I have to trust them? So now they can blow my fake SiN if they have the desire? Totally getting the sense "team" should be something that can be disposed of if necessary, so 3 commlinks.

If you don't trust your team's hacker, there are worse things he can do to you than hack your commlink. A little healthy paranoia is a good thing, but any team will be regularly put into situations in which they can fuck each other over, and any team that takes advantage of that with any frequency won't last.

Would it help any if I said that my only experience with dealing with a player with a hacker included him blatantly lying that he was in fact a sniper when I was asking what roles were filled in the party so I could get some idea on what we were capable of accomplishing. Sure didn't help much when asked to provide sniper cover (instead of sharing info learned about the job), the character refused and then proceeded to try to hide the fact he was the only one who could work the hardware to breakin to a building and then later blowing our stealth by hacking a stereo to start playing classical music at full blast... Needless to say, I was thinking with that level of trust in a team mate, my character would be thinking of finding a new team to be their gunslinger with someone he could trust a little more not to watch him bleed out and loot his corpse. So, don't mind me if I take the being paranoid of fellow runners things a bit too far.

Why tossing it when you can just turn it off and get its ID spoofed latter. Then you you associate the new ID with other fake SIN, licenses etc.
Understand that ID is not inherent to a SIN. An ID only identifies a device in the matrix, which is different from a SIN, a number (or code) that identifies you as citizen in a region.
Every time you buy a new Commlink (or other device) it comes with a unique ID. So you must inform the nodes you usually accessed (non-public accounts) with the former ID that you are now using a new one, so they can edit their subscription list.
IDs are not phone numbers. The thing that function as phone# (and e-mail adress, among other things) is the Commcode, that must be associated with new IDs (a part of the spoofing ID action): although searching for an ID can get you to the node who has it (but simply try searching the Trix for that old 'runner pal of yours with only the ID you got 1 month ago, without his Commcode...).

I will repeat once more (my opinion, ok): having 3 Commlinks is a simple way to complicate your life. It's like having 3 CPUs, but only one keyboard (ex. AR Gloves) and one monitor (AR glasses). You cannot display images at or give commands to the three at a time otherwise they would overload the interface devices creating a complete chaos. This is particularly dangerous when you use a DNI (i can't even imagine how bad it is!)

In my opinion, using 2 'links is only an advantage for a hacker so he can better conceal his illegal programs and activities. In a security area of a town he uses his decoy 'link to interact with regular nodes passing without attracting atention, only changing to the main 'link when a hacking action is needed...

Absolutely!

I think his friends wanna play something with a better taste of paranoia...

Er, friends is too strong a word, lets say acquaintances would be a better fit except for one who introduced me to the group originally for that other game that apparently gives cancer. I no longer play with them, the vibe was all wrong for me since I was looking for more than just being an acquaintance and with my taste of SR, despite it ending up the way it did with that particular group, I just don't even ponder characters or settings for the other game anymore. What can I say, I just know which novels I enjoy reading more.

Anyways, you talk about spoofing and the like instead of tossing it but who does the spoofing? If it isn't your character, then do you really trust it? Easier to spend the nuyen on a new cheap (cheap or expensive if that fits with the fake persona of course) commlink for that new fake SiN / licenses, IMHO.

Spoofing I assume means that we are talking about changing the commlink's ID on the hardware side for permanent effect, otherwise might it seem a little odd for someone looking for Mr. Blown noticing a commlink he used to use now being used by Mr. Notblown and at least want to ask them where they got the commlink from since it connects the two. Heh, now I am picturing some street person using a commlink they found in the trash and some sort of MiB shows up to question them on where they got it from, hmm, tossing should include destroying it somehow...

Oh well, don't mind me though, I just watched Burn Notice recently, I got the idea for just tossing a suspect commlink aka "cell" from that combined with what I had been reading about SR4A communications in these forums.

Though, I don't really get the that the keyboard (gloves) and screen (glasses) would get confused if shared, since my idea of AR allows for different stuff to be placed in different transparent windows/objects (and windows/objects within) in those, which I would presume would be labeled with which commlink the call is coming from.

1) I don't think it's like that. You seem to be talking about the anonymity related to the "mesh network" part of the Trix: commlinks can't analyse (know in details) the radio traffic that passes through them. You have a second part of the 'Link (like a router) dedicated only to this job (that's why the radio traffic still pass through hidden nodes).

I think an active PAN is there for anyone who wants to see, but a connection (very restricted) with it don't require authorization. cf. SR4 20th (p.223): "In Active mode, you can both access and be accessed by other PANs, devices, and networks. You give permission for anyone to connect to your commlink and see what is on it." and: "Many people openly broadcast certain portions of their personal data via their PAN for others to access. This is known as a public profile, represented by an expandable AR tab or an info window that opens when you select their icon in AR." (idem, p.219). When you "select the icon" your 'Link asks the other node for a profile, which answers sending the data displayed in an ARO. This doesn't mean that one icon is logging on the other, though i think this is a possibility ("to see what is on it").


2) Your answer made me think about other things. Are we actually subscribed (logged on) to every device in our PAN (thus counting against the subscription limit)? I think the Commlink just orders the image link: "diplay that video call", and the im.link replies "Yes sir, here it is!" (not having to log on).
As I was saying, the node accessing the active 'link don't really see the hiden devices in the PAN, but can actually see what devices are interacting with the 'Link forming a PAN (as Commlinks are the main hub of the PAN...)

This is an exemple of what i think that happens to an Active: if a Knight Errant drone check your 'Link it will see your public profile (with SIN, Licenses) AND your PAN. If you're carrying an Ares Predator IV w\ Smartgun subscribed to your 'Link, the Drone will see it. You will probably have a (fake) license for the gun, so the drone will analise it to be assured it is a real one. If everything is fine he flies away to check another person's 'Link.

Thank you for the answers. (and pardon me if I ask too much!)

There is a table in Unwired (Pages 54-55) describing the things that can be handled with Data Requests vs. those that actually require a subscription... and the differences between the two.

Keep the Faith

See Tymeaus reference. But common data requests don't require subscriptions, and as long as you don't put your subscription list out in that part of your commlink, how will someone know what you are allowing to connect?

1) You definitely suffer from Paranoia. I recommend you searching for a Stret Doc or a BTL dealer asap. (But i'm convinced that tossing away a tainted Commlink is actually a good (and cheap) idea! Especially if you can't trust anyone, not even your dog Dogmeat)
I have to say that you won't go far doing all by your self in shadowrun. Some day you will have to trust a hacker. Moreover an untrustful character will end up with a bad rep (and the worst jobs).
You are right about spoofing. (and i was wrong when i said before that an Agent can spoof access IDs - they don't have Software or Hardware skills!)

2) Maybe I'm wrong...

Thank you Tymeaus and Dire Radiant.
Most of my doubts are gone.

Null Perspiration Chummer...

Keep the Faith

Hehe, Paranoia indeed. I blame the Scorched and Sensitive Neural Structure in the character's past ... heh, I wonder if a character with Gremlins would feel the same way too. Definitely needs a Doc (and the karma) indeed. And wouldn't you know it, a few mild addictions to stuff that makes the character feel like they have more willpower to boot.

But too true, gotta trust sometime, without it I don't think a Runner team could actually exist. Yeah, that definitely would not help with better paying / tougher jobs for sure, teams must be harder to come by than individuals in the shadows. Also teams heavy in certain specializations and lacking others must be a pain in the ass as well, I bet that is why gangs only make it so far in the shadows, a shortage of certain skills (and tools) in their team. A hacker one can trust with their life must be worth their weight in [insert highly valued SR resource here].

As far as I understood:

Accessing a node: it's an interaction between 2 nodes that happens in two ways: data request or subscription. As an interaction, there is no single way communication i.e. a node only receives data if the other accepts it or only sends data if the other authorizes it.
Account: it's the representation of the extention of one node's access rights towards another. A public account gives the most limited access rights, but it usually require only the access ID. An account is needed not only in subscriptions, but as well in data requests.

ACTIVE MODE: the node's icon is seen by nearby nodes and can be found in the Trix by who ever knows it's ID (as PASSIVE MODE). It also allows any node to see the owner's public profile or to see (only) what's inside the node.

If i'm right this line of thought can't be correct:



What actually happens (as I conceive) is that an Active Node accepts data requests concerning its public profile. When you select an Active Node from your 'Link you actually require data from it (your 'link says to the other: "hi, i'm commlink ID98146392081, send me your public profile). When you see the ARO with the public profile, it means the Active Node sent it to you, as you required. In order to request data, your 'Link access the Active Node, which requires a Public Account (thus your ID must be sent, leaving data trail).

>> So does it mean that a hidden node is "discovered" if i it sends a data request? Absolutely. If the other node tries to send a data request to you, it simply won't find the node (which is hidden). And if your node is in Passive, the data request would require your authorization.

Is something wrong with that?

I got a little confused there. Allow me to explain:

(1) NODE A >>>send request to download data>>> NODE B >>>authorizes and send data>>> NODE A

(2) NODE A >>>send request to upload data>>> NODE B >>>authorizes node A to send data>>> NODE A >>>send data>>> NODE B

(something like this...)

And _that_, my freinds, is why you keep your firewall up to date.

Classic...

Keep the Faith