Well-Known Member
Image Source: Tron: Legacy
Intent: Provide a means for Wardens to identify each others' vessels
Development Thread: If Necessary
Manufacturer: Corellia Digital
Model: Minainin (min-eye-nin)
Affiliation: Wardens of the Void
Modularity: Minor - IDs can be added to the stored list, chip contents and IDs can be re-encrypted (both modifications require physical connection to the server)
Production: Limited (Wardens of the Void PCs and NPCS)
Material: Circuitry, non-volatile memory, code
Description: This is a computer chip small enough to be concealed in a common device (comm unit, ring, necklace, etc). It contains a program designed to interact solely with the identification transponders in vessels. For as long as the chip is installed, said program will insert an encrypted string into the comments contained in transponder broadcasts. As comments are typically ignored and the string would appear to be junk data anyways, it would likely be ignored by automated systems. Also included in the program, however, is an additional function designed to comb through the comments of incoming transponder data and compare each string with the array of users stored within the chip. Each user has a specific encrypted ID assigned to them, though the user array in each chip does not contain personal details outside of the ID itself.
It is possible, however unlikely, that an actual piece of junk code in the comments could match an approved user ID, providing a false positive. Additionally, since the chip does not use an internal processor to examine incoming data, the computer used will need to dedicate appropriate cycles to the task. While usually not an issue, excessive commenting in a transponder's code could provide a noticeable slowdown. An attempt to mitigate this was effected: the reader function only examines strings containing a particular amount of characters. Nothing smaller, nothing larger. As well, optimized search algorithms were selected for use on the sorted ID array in an attempt to minimize processor use.
To note: as the Warden ranks grow, new Wardens will have new IDs generated for them. Chips that haven't been updated since new IDs were generated will not recognize the newer IDs, though newer chips will recognize old. In like manner, only those using the same encryption will be able to identify each other. A ship without the chip installed will not have the ID or be or know to scan for such IDs.
Weaknesses/Drawbacks
- Small, thus easy to lose
- No innate resistance to EMP/ion
- Not foolproof, false positives can happen
- Could significantly slow the host computer in certain conditions
- No automatic updates, lack of new information could lead to issues between Wardens
- Requires the use of a host computer and transponder. If one or the other is missing/off, this has no effect.
