NTBI VIN2 Specification

Since 2011, NTBI vehicles have used the VIN1 and newer VIN2 vehicle numbering systems to identity each specific vehicle within Second Life mostly for role-play reference. It is also to simplify customer service by giving an exact model code which can be provided to explain to the manufacturer, vehicles brand, model name, encrypted date stamp (to figure out when this product was rezzed in-world and determine if it is outdated), version number and package.

Standards

There are currently 3 different (albeit similar) standards for NTBI VIN numbering.

NTBI VIN1 2011

The VIN1 specification, originally called VOID (Vehicle/Object IDentifier) as it was designed to be used with more than just vehicles and then renamed to VID internally, was first designed in Q2 2011 and was structured around the actual Vehicle Identification Number standards, going so far as to propose an unused country code solely for NTBI. This method also had the added benefit of providing a set of attributes which could be transferred between vehicles to copy general configurations from one car to another. However, it was rejected by ac14 Hutson, who viewed it as too complicated and difficult to implement.

Revised proposals were submitted by both Nelson Jenkins and ac14 Hutson, both of whom eventually collaborated on the final specification, which was used mainly as an identification system to pinpoint the source of copybotted vehicles (hence using color and wheel codes to verify the integrity of the number).

NTBI VIN2 2012

The VIN2 standard was designed by Nelson Jenkins as the VIN1 system used extremely inefficient and outdated scripts on the web server, which became a serious problem when the server began to slow down due to the system constantly producing errors. It was also feared that the system would cause so much strain on the server that the hosting company would suspend service, as had been done with Gentek's server when a programming error caused similar resource use.

As a result, VIN2 was reworked from the ground up, and a web interface was added for customer support purposes which could "look up" VIN2 codes to decode the make, model, version number, package, and a timestamp when it was rezzed. The numbering specification was also changed to be easier to read without a decoder, since the color and wheel information could be stored on the server so other information could be added.

An updated VIN3 standard was considered to expand on the numbering scheme and bring the system more in line with the ISO 3779 (VIN) standard as originally intended, but was scrapped in lieu of a small VIN2 bugfix update, as there was no real need to change the system. However, VIN2's web interface will be eventually reworked so BluComm could potentially use its database to look up VIN2 numbers.

Lusch Motors Variant

The Lusch Motors Variant came about due to a bug in the VIN2 script that did not strip the decimal point from the version number. Although essentially the same as the VIN2 2012 standard, digits 10-17 are shifted right to make way for the decimal point. This proved to be an issue for VIN2 decoder systems as the extra digit threw off the decoding software.

As of Q4 2012, NTBI expects all new vehicles to be switched over to the VIN2 2012 standard from the Lusch Motors Variant. This will be accomplished with the release of a new VIN2 script that resolves some bugs with the first VIN2 script as well as provide the framework for future vehicle systems.

Components

Both VIN1 and VIN2 standards were designed to be similar to the actual Vehicle Identification Number standards, although not compatible and do not include a check digit.

Standard	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
NTBI VIN2 2012	Manufacturer		Model Identifier			_	Package Code		Major Version	Minor Version	_	Sequential Number						(blank)
Lusch Motors Variant used by Lusch Motors only until Q3 2012	Manufacturer		Model Identifier			_	Package Code		Major Version	.	Minor Version	_	Sequential Number
NTBI VIN1 2011 used until Q4 2011	First digit of Man.	First digit of Model	First digit of Pkg.	Major Version	Minor Version	VIN1 Color Code		VIN1 Wheel Code		VIN1 Sequential Number (not compatible with VIN2)					(blank)

Manufacturer Codes

Manufacturer codes are the first two digits of the manufacturer's name. LMD and MCC/Crown Automotive have not released vehicles within NTBI since the VIN standards were released. Note that as of this writing, the VIN2 specification is NTBI-exclusive, and is not available to other vehicle manufacturers, so please do not ask to be added to this list.

Manufacturer	Code
Astaro	AS
Lusch Motors	LU
SZYM Motors	SZ

Model Identifiers

Model identifiers, much like manufacturer codes, are the first three digits of the model's name. One downside to this is that the TPF trucks are all given the same identifier. Below is a list of all known models within the VIN2 system:

Model	ID
Astaro C-Type	C-T
Astaro Imperial	IMP
Astaro Renegade	REN
Astaro TPF-1 Engine Astaro TPF-2 Tanker Astaro TPF-3 Ladder	TPF
Lusch Motors Allstar	ALL
Lusch Motors Novaline	NOV
Lusch Motors Tempo	TEM
SZYM Entourage	ENT
SZYM Tahari	TAH

Package Codes

The following are all known package codes in the VIN2 system:

Package	Code
Agent	AG
Ambulance	AM
Basic	BA
Civilian	CI
Emergency	EM
Legacy	LE
Long (C-Type)	LO
Panel Van Passenger	PA
Priority	PR
Quadrant	QU
Short (C-Type)	SH
Sport	SP
Taxi	TA
Undercover	UN
Vertex	VE

Sequential Vehicle Identifier

The Sequential Vehicle Identifier is a 6-digit alphanumeric code that spans across the entire VIN2 system (5-digit for VIN1), and every rezzed vehicle has its own unique SVI. Each SVI can be "tracked" to an originating point where it was rezzed, and at what time. This allows NTBI to collect anonymous usage data, which was previously going to be used to display a gridwide map of rez locations of all NTBI vehicles, but currenly only powers a rez counter, seen in the Prototype mall and various locations in the Celaeno complex. (It should be noted that vehicles aren't "tracked", their rez locations and times are only recorded once to allow for anonymous usage statistics and copybotted vehicle investigations.)

The SVI is also used to generate the license plate number on first rez.