Session endpoint management protocol

A protocol for managing an endpoint of a logical session in a first device to selectively extend the endpoint to at least one local device that is within a coverage area of the first device, the protocol comprising the steps of:

• discovering, by the first device, an identity of the at least one local device;
• receiving, by the first device, information describing any sessions in which the at least one local device is participating, from the at least one local device via a session description information message;
• and
• sending a MOVE message to establish the at least one local device as a secondary endpoint of the logical session.

A protocol for managing routes used to access session endpoints in an ad-hoc network environment including a plurality of nodes coupled in a predetermined sequence of nodes from an initial node to a final node comprising the steps of:

• discovering, by the final node, an identity of a new node, local to the final node, wherein the new node is not in the sequence of nodes;
• receiving, by the final node, information describing any sessions in which the new node is participating, from the new node via a session description information message;
• sending a MOVE message from the final node to the new node to establish the new node as new final node in the ad-hoc network, the MOVE message including an identifier of an intermediate node in the sequence of nodes from which the final node receives data;
• determining, by the new final node if the intermediate node is local to the new final node;
• if the intermediate node is local to the new final node, sending a further MOVE message from the new final node to the intermediate node to establish a direct connection between the new final node and the intermediate node;
• and
• sending a TERMINATE message from the new final node to the final node to terminate any session between the final node and the intermediate node.

A protocol for managing routes used to access session endpoints in an ad-hoc network environment including a plurality of nodes coupled in a predetermined sequence of nodes from an initial node to a final node comprising the steps of:

• discovering, by the final node, an identity of a new node, local to the final node, wherein the new node is not in the sequence of nodes;
• receiving, by the final node, information describing any sessions in which the new node is participating, from the new node via a session description information message;
• sending a MOVE message from the final node to the new node to establish the new node as new final node in the ad-hoc network;
• sending a route optimization message from the new final node to the final node, the route optimization message including an address of the new final node;
• forwarding the route optimization message from the new final node to a predecessor node to the final node in the predetermined sequence of nodes;
• determining, by the predecessor node if the new final node is local to the predecessor node;
• if the new final node is local to the predecessor node, sending a further MOVE message from the predecessor node to the new final node to establish a direct connection between the predecessor node and the new final node;
• and
• sending a TERMINATE message from the predecessor node to the final node to terminate any session between the predecessor node and the final node.