Internet protocol (IP) serverless page party (SPP) station and systems and methods for deploying multiple SPP stations

A method performed by a processor for managing Internet Protocol (IP)-based stations connected via a network comprising:

• configuring the IP-based stations to route packets between each other via multicast without a central device controlling inter-station communications between the IP-based stations by:
• assigning multicast sockets to respective lines employed by the IP-based stations and chosen from one or more party lines and one or more page lines;
• storing system configuration data at each of the IP-based stations;
• assigning a dedicated multicast address to common channel used by the IP-based stations to communicate with each other;
• and
• updating the IP-based stations' configuration data based on communications via the common channel to allow the IP-based stations to automatically transmit on and listen to sockets based on their corresponding configuration data;
• wherein the configuration data comprises a system designation identifying a system, and respective station identifiers for each of the IP-based stations deployed in that system;
• and
• wherein the system configuration further comprises a group identifier for each of one or more groups of IP-based stations deployed in the system and designated ones of the station identifiers that are assigned to each group, each group having a corresponding group configuration comprising configurable fields that are used to configure each of the IP-based stations assigned to that group, and the system configuration comprises a profile for an IP-based station that comprises the system designation, a group number for the group to which the IP-based station is assigned, and the station identifier of the IP-based station.