[JoeNapalm]

Okay, my mildly paranoid street merc has a decoy 'link Subscribed to his PAN Hub (a hardened commlink with the WiFi hardswitched to off).

My PAN Hub has the Basic+ software package (he's just a Merc, not a Hacker). My question is, do I need to get software for my decoy commlink, or can I access all of my PAN Hub software through the Subscription? I figure the decoy will be Subscribed as a User, and Admin rights to the PAN hub will be restricted to DNI and/or Skinlink.

-Jn-
Ifriti Sophist

[Ryo]

How exactly are you subscribed if the WiFi is disabled? It's not a very good decoy if you've got a fiber optic cable running from it to the rest of your PAN.

As for your question, I'm fairly certain you can copy programs between multiple comms if you so choose, but I'm not sure if that's an actual rule, or just the way my group has been running it, since it seems silly to buy such expensive programs more than once for multiple 'links, drones, etc.

[nifoc]

How exactly are you subscribed if the WiFi is disabled? It's not a very good decoy if you've got a fiber optic cable running from it to the rest of your PAN.

This is a very good point, although it might be solved by skinlink etc.

As for your question, I'm fairly certain you can copy programs between multiple comms if you so choose, but I'm not sure if that's an actual rule, or just the way my group has been running it, since it seems silly to buy such expensive programs more than once for multiple 'links, drones, etc.

Considering that programs these days don't exactly work that way. You CAN install that copy of Windows your got on every computer in the house, but you're not allowed to according to the TOS (legality can differ between countries). Pretty sure they will develop better copy protection, so unless you are using pirated software you're probably forced to purchase several copies.
As to the question of using the programs installed on your PAN hub from a slaved commlink. I'm no computer expert, so you might need a second opinion, but I'm not sure you can use programs that are only installed on another computer. Even if such a thing is possible, you have to consider that any programs need to be run on the hub and then copied onto your slaved station, meaning that they draw system resources from both commlinks.

[Ryo]

Considering that programs these days don't exactly work that way. You CAN install that copy of Windows your got on every computer in the house, but you're not allowed to according to the TOS (legality can differ between countries). Pretty sure they will develop better copy protection, so unless you are using pirated software you're probably forced to purchase several copies.

True, except a lot of programs these days do allow you to install on multiple systems. For example, I could install my copy of Dreamweaver on 5 computers before it started bitching at me.

[nifoc]

That means that you purchase 5 licenses when you purchase it. The way the rules seem to work is that you purchase programs for each device separately, but this is never spelled out explicitly that I can see, so I guess it depends on what your group is comfortable with.

[KarmaInferno]

Yeah, it's pretty much assumed that most off-the-shelf software has some sort of copy protection, and if you want to install it on multiple systems you either buy more licenses, or crack the copy protection.


-k

[JoeNapalm]

How exactly are you subscribed if the WiFi is disabled? It's not a very good decoy if you've got a fiber optic cable running from it to the rest of your PAN.

As for your question, I'm fairly certain you can copy programs between multiple comms if you so choose, but I'm not sure if that's an actual rule, or just the way my group has been running it, since it seems silly to buy such expensive programs more than once for multiple 'links, drones, etc.

If it were cabled, it would still work as a decoy commlink, because the PAN hub is still invisible to Matrix-based threats. It's not a physical decoy. The initial attack has to go through the decoy, because it's the only electronic device on my person that is receiving external signals.

That said, both commlinks are Skinlinked, and everything is Subscribed to the PAN hub - so if you want to hack anything, you have to come in through the decoy (Firewall 6) then find and hack the hub commlink (Firewall 6, again).

The only way to make something totally safe is make it totally inaccessable, which makes it totally useless. I'm just making it as difficult as possible...if I pose a hard enough target, they'll go after the Ork, next to me, who got his commlink on sale at Big Lots.

My interpretation of the rules were that you purchase a software license for a single device. A Hacker can pirate software, but my character isn't interested in messing with it.

The Subscription rules imply that the "decoy" commlink, as a Subscriber, can use the programs on the "PAN Hub" commlink - that's what I'm trying to clarify.

-Jn-
Ifriti Sophist

[KarmaInferno]

I think the word "decoy" is throwing people off. Decoy implies a separate unconnected item designed to draw attention away from the rest. Like having a second unconnected legal commlink in active mode, to draw attention away from your real commlink that's hidden.

What you have is a relatively old concept in SR4, the daisy-chained access point. You isolate traffic from outside your PAN to a single entry point for better security. It works. It's not foolproof, but it does cut down on vulnerabilities.

Some folks go a far as chaining multiple commlinks together, with only the end unit actually having radio wireless capacity. Each commlink in the chain is set up with massive security and analyse, and an intruder will have to crack each commlink to get access to the next. In the meanwhile if any commlink in the chain detects the intruder it sends an alert signal, which causes the rest of the chain to momentarily shut off the power. This dumps the intruder and forces him to start all over.


-k

[JoeNapalm]

Ah. Yeah, I don't want it totally unconnected, as I think it would be difficult (and even unadvised) to wander around in 2072 without the ability to see AROs and such.

I have it Subscribed, so that I can pass useful info on to my PAN, see AROs with my Image Link, and all of that, but I still have an added layer of security. I don't have the inclination (or nuyen  ) to daisy-chain a bunch of them together - but even if I were to get hacked, they're not getting very far, as all my Cyber is DNI and my weapons have Cyber Safeties.

But the lack of nuyen is what's making me wonder if I can't just use the programs on my PAN hub, leaving my "external" commlink basically empty....just running Analyze, maybe.

I suppose that I could Subscribe the "external" 'link to my Cybereyes, thus seeing AROs, and not really compromise security as the eyes themselves would be subscribed to the hub...

More than one way to skin a barghest, really.

-Jn-
Ifriti Sophist

[Valashar]

Yeah, it's pretty much assumed that most off-the-shelf software has some sort of copy protection, and if you want to install it on multiple systems you either buy more licenses, or crack the copy protection.


-k

Standard programs come with the Registration and Copy Protection options loaded (from Unwired). In order to be able to load them onto multiple devices, a hacker needs to crack the copy protection. Then the program becomes subject to steady degradation unless the hacker also works to keep up with the patches (since they will no longer be gained automatically).

[JoeNapalm]

But if I Subscribe to that device as a user, I can run the software within my permissions, yes?

I'm pretty sure I can, so if I have two 'links, I don't really need to buy a bunch of duplicate software, or get the team hacker to crack it.

-Jn-
Ifriti Sophist

[KarmaInferno]

Subscribing has nothing to do with the Copy Protection or Registration of a piece of software.

Off-the-shelf software has an internal licensing system. If you install software on a device, it does a check to see if you have permission to install it, otherwise it doesn't work. It also registers you as a user with the company that created the software. In return for this your software automatically updates and maintains itself.

For example, you buy a Browse 3 software. By default, it is licensed for one user. The first device you install it on, no problem. The moment you try to use the software on a second device, it will refuse to work and probably ask that you purchase another license.

The exact mechanism for this copy protection "check" is left abstract. You can, however, disable this check by cracking and modifying the software. At the same time you probably will want to remove the Registration function so the guys who wrote the software can't track you.

The problem now is that the cracked software can no longer "call home" to request patches and updates. So it's rating degrades over time as it falls behind the "state of the art" and becomes slowly obsolete. To fix this, you need to patch and update the software manually, which means regular programming tests to perform the maintenance.

You can install the software on just one commlink and just run it there, accessing that first commlink from other commlinks. That works. Like installing software on your computer at work and accessing the software remotely via VPN from a terminal at home. But you still have problems with Registration, which most Shadowrunners don't like. Something about the Corps being able to track you with it, I dunno.





-k