System and method for auto-configuration and discovery of IP to MAC address mapping and gateway presence in wireless peer-to-peer ad-hoc routing networks

A system for controlling broad-cast messages within a network stack of a local node in an ad-hoc communications network, said network including a plurality of nodes being adapted to transmit and receive signals to and from other nodes in said network, the system comprising:

• a first node, adapted to determine a Media Access Control (MAC) address for at least one node of a network identified by a subnet Internet Protocol (IP) address, and to apply a hashing function to said MAC address to produce an abbreviated IP address;
• said first node being further adapted to construct an IP address for said at least one node based on said abbreviated IP address and said subnet IP address, and to communicate said IP address as a routing advertisement;
• a second node, adapted to receive said routing advertisement and maintain a local ad-hoc routing table based on said routing advertisement;
• and
• said second node being further adapted to intercept at least one of a locally issued Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request and a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request and to answer said intercepted request based on said local ad-hoc routing table.

A computer-readable medium of instructions, adapted to control broadcast messages within a network stack of a local node in an ad-hoc communications network, said network including a plurality of nodes being adapted to transmit and receive signals to and from other nodes in said network, comprising:

• a first set of instructions, adapted to determine a Media Access Control (MAC) address for at least one node of a network identified by a subnet Internet Protocol (IP) address, and to apply a hashing function to said MAC address to produce an abbreviated IP address;
• a second set of instructions, adapted to construct an IP address for said at least one node based on said abbreviated IP address and said subnet IP address, and to communicate said IP address as a routing advertisement;
• a third set of instructions, adapted to control a first node to receive said routing advertisement and maintain a local ad-hoc routing table based on said routing advertisement;
• and
• a fourth set of instructions, adapted to control said first node to intercept at least one of a locally issued Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request and a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request and to answer said intercepted request based on said local ad-hoc routing table.