# PFES-ENG-023 — Media Topology and Resources

**Status:** Active  
**Knowledge Cycle Stages:** Discover Structure, Observe

## Purpose

Map physical, logical, security, descriptor, partition, and resource organization of optical media.

## Engineering Problem

Optical media can contain multiple sessions, partitions, lead-in structures, security regions, authentication data, descriptors, and hidden layouts.

## Historical Engineering Evolution

Xbox work showed that media topology and firmware view can change through authentication and partition transitions. Emulator and dumper work therefore required explicit topology.

## Engineering Discoveries

- Media is not passive storage.
- Firmware may expose different logical views of the same physical disc.

## Architectural Decisions

- Preserve raw topology.
- Keep authentication and descriptor resources explicit.
- Do not collapse platform-specific views into a single filesystem abstraction.

## Knowledge Produced

- Partition maps
- Descriptor inventories
- Authentication resources
- Geometry models

## Knowledge Consumed

- Raw images
- Firmware behavior
- Hardware reads

## Current Engineering State

Current work includes Xbox video and game partitions, security/authentication resources, PFI, DMI, AD, lead-in/control information, and platform-specific windowing.

## Engineering Lessons

- Topology explains why ordinary imaging can be incomplete.

## Negative Knowledge

Project Frankenstein no longer assumes:

- A filesystem map equals media topology.
- Logical LBA views always equal physical source layout.

## Current Implementations

- Disc sidecars
- Firmware-derived window mapping
- Hardware traces

## Future Implementations

- Formal media topology schema
- Additional optical families

## Open Questions

To be expanded during engineering review.

## Why This Chapter Exists

Media topology is required to explain how firmware interprets and exposes discs.
