getRandomPresences (48)

The getRandomPresences message is a request for a random sample of active presences of a particular type. This is a key mechanism for network discovery, allowing a new or isolated node to find a set of initial peers to connect to without needing a hardcoded list.

Core Data Types

• char: See Global Serialization Rules.

Payload Structure

Field	Data Type	Min	Max	Description
nodeType	char	1	1	A single character representing the desired node type (M, H, R, C).

Behavioral Notes

• Purpose: This message is a tool for peer discovery and bootstrapping. A node sends it to find a random set of other nodes to connect to.
• Response Mechanism: There is no unique response message for getRandomPresences. Instead, a node receiving this request will respond by sending a series of updatePresence messages back to the requester.
• Response Logic:
  1. The receiving node queries its local PresenceList for up to 20 presences matching the requested nodeType.
  2. If more than 10 presences are found, it selects a random subset of 10.
  3. For each Presence object in the final selection, it sends one or more updatePresence messages to the requester. (A single Presence might be split into multiple chunks/messages if it's very large).
• The requester should be prepared to receive multiple updatePresence messages in response to a single getRandomPresences request.