I while ago, I noticed that Sony changed the manner in which the EQ client does portscans when it starts up. Of course, this got me thinking about how ShowEQ might be detected. While I wasn't able to find any evidence that Sony was actively trying to find ShowEQ users, it is possible to detect network cards that are running in promiscuous mode through several means. Thus, I decided to make some changes in my hardware setup to prevent any future problems, and figured that others in the ShowEQ community might find this useful.
Maybe this has be written about before, but I didn't find it, so here 'tis:
Install:
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1) get an old 10base-T ethernet card that has both an RJ-45 jack and an AUI port (looks like a joystick port) on the back.
(I use an ISA SMC-Ultra card, which is well supported under Linux; just about any 3Com or Intel cards are fine too).
2) get an AUI adapter.
(both of these are available from eBay and other sources for less than $10--I got mine for a total investment of $17, including shipping)
3) Cut pins number 3 and 10 out of the AUI adapter, using this (shitty, I know) ASCII diagram:
.....1........................8
....----------------------
....\.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o./
.....\.o.o.o.o.o.o.o./
......-----------------
.......9.................15
4) Compile and install ShowEQ as normal on your ShowEQ machine (I use a dedicated Pentium-233, which works great with the FPS turned down to 5).
Explanation:
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What we're doing here is cutting the transmit pins on the AUI transceiver. With this mod, the hardware in your ShowEQ box will lack the physical ability to transmit anything, which obviously precludes any possibility of it responding to portscans, sending your password, etc. More simply, your machine will be able to listen but not speak.
The reason that a transceiver is necessary is two-fold.
First, modern ethernet has a hardware-based 'heartbeat' feature that will notify your network driver when there is a network connection failure, such as an inability to transmit. In most cases, the OS/driver will then disable that network connection. However, older AUI-based technology lacks this feature, so your driver will happily continue to operate regardless of transmit ability.
Second, because we are modding only the AUI transceiver, and not the network card itself, its easy to reverse the mod when you want to communicate with the world. This way, when you want to download the new ShowEQ updates or whatever, you just unplug the network cable from the AUI port and plug it into the standard RJ-45 jack and restart the network service; no reboot is necessary. Download the updates, and then switch back to the AUI port.
Lastly, here is some additional information on this trick that I found useful:
http://www.zweknu.org/technical/index.rhtml?s=p%7C14&
Disclaimer:
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While this will totally prevent Sony from detecting ShowEQ by any technical means, nothing can prevent detection though user stupidity. That means don't talk about ShowEQ, and don't act as though you have information that you shouldn't while in-game. Other than that, you will be home-free.