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The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Black Ops.


The Black Ops Data Servers are remote servers used for accessing, storing, and transferring data between users or other servers in Call of Duty: Black Ops through the computer terminal. Four data servers exist in-game. They are CIA, Dreamland, DoD and the DerRiese Servers.

Many files from the Data Servers return within Call of Duty: Black Ops III, in a new terminal known as the Data Vault.

Access[]

The computer terminal can be found in the main menu screen, in which Alex Mason sits bound to a chair in what seems to be an interrogation room. When the player repeatedly taps the Space Bar on PC, R2 and L2 on PS3, RT and LT on Xbox 360 and by shaking the remote and nunchuck on the Wii, Alex Mason is freed from his bonds. The player can then move to the back of the room and access the computer terminal.

Computer Terminal Commands[]

Various commands, which are instructions written in human-readable words for a computer to execute, are available on the terminal.

The help command displays a list of some (but not all) commands that can be used on the terminal:

cat - prints the contents of a file (.txt, .pic, .snd). Syntax is cat [filename].

cd [ |.|..|path] - must be entered with a path as parameter value, changes the current directory to the value entered after the command: "." can be used within a path as a shortcut for the path to the current directory, ".." can be used as a shortcut o go up to the parent directory of current directory, e.g. when current directory is /HOME/AMASON, typing CD .. will set the current directory to /HOME.

clear - clears the screen.

dir - displays the contents of the current directory.

decode - decodes an encrypted string using an agency standard cypher. Syntax is decode [string].

encode - encodes a string using an agency standard cypher. Syntax is encode [string].

exit - exits the current login session, i.e. logs the current user out and returns to the previous user who has logged in.

login - log in as a different user to the system that is currently connected.

mail - opens the current user's electronic mailbox. This is a very informational place to look around.

rlogin [system] - remotely connect to a data system / server, e.g. $RLOGIN CIA. Known valid data systems / servers to type in as parameter value for [system] are CIA, DREAMLAND, DOD and DERRIESE.

who - lists the users who have user accounts on the system the player is currently connected to. To find user accounts not listed within this command, check the home directory by typing CD HOME. This sets the player to the path /HOME. Then, enter the command LS or DIR to view the list of directories.

Additional Commands[]

More commands can be found on the system within the binary directory. To reach the /bin/ directory and view all available commands, the following commands must be entered:

cd bin

dir

Here is a list of additional commands found in the /bin/ directory:

alicia - begins a session with Alicia, a virtual therapist.

cls - clears the screen (same as clear)

doa - Launches a hidden game in-game called Dead Ops Arcade.

foobar - displays the string Fee Fie Foe Foo!

hello sailor - launches the Zork minigame.

ls - see dir

more - changes the prompt from $ to --MORE--. this command serves virtually no purpose on the in-game terminal. However, one can see the --MORE-- prompt when printing a large text file that can't fit on-screen.

print - see cat

type - see cat

zork - launches the Zork minigame.

Special Commands[]

3arc unlock - a cheat code which unlocks the Zombies map, "Five" and all the single player missions, but disables the Stand Down Achievement/Trophy.

3arc intel - a cheat code which unlocks all intel in the game for viewing, but disables the 'Closer Analysis' Achievement/Trophy.

Server Access[]

The data servers hosting the systems are accessible through the in-game computer terminal using the login and rlogin [system] computer commands.

Enter the login command to log into a different user account on the server that is currently connected and entering a valid username and password.

The rlogin [system] command is for reaching remote servers.

One can guess for valid system names though, as the RLOGIN command validates the given system value for existence.

Server Structure[]

Directories[]

Each server is identically structured, apart from the files and users on the server. Each server contains a root directory (/), a binaries directory (/bin/), a home directory (/home/), and user directory (/home/[user]/)

/ Directory[]

The / directory contains no files. it does, however, contain two directories: the /bin/ and the /home/ directories. These can be seen by typing dir or ls.

/bin/ Directory[]

The /bin/ directory contains no directories or readable files.

/home/ Directory[]

The /home/ directory contains no files, only the directories of all the users on the server (including ones not listed via the WHO command on the CIA system). The only user directory that can be accessed is the current user's.

Files[]

The player can view the contents of other user's files without needing to log in as a particular user.

User Accounts[]

Traditionally, the way to change users in a system would be to log in as a different user. To do this, one must know the other user's password. It has been found that the player can change users on the Black Ops data servers without needing to know their password.

The only downside to using this method of changing users is that the player will not have access to the target user's mailbox.

Trivia[]

  • The terminal console's on-screen keyboard is an incomplete QWERTY keyboard.
  • Although output text is displayed in lowercase characters and uppercase where expected, a player can only enter uppercase characters when typing in commands through the on-screen keyboard.
  • The computer console's input cursor cannot be repositioned.
  • When attempting to display a .txt/.pic/.snd file on the Nintendo Wii version, an error message will appear, "Error reading drive A: missing file" (these files were added in the December 2010 update).
    • Strangely enough, after the December 2010 update, a similar error is displayed if Dead Ops Arcade is entered, "Error reading drive A: incomplete directory". This is due to the fact that the Nintendo Wii version of Call of Duty: Black Ops was dropped before Dead Ops Arcade could be fully ported to the system.
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