Method and system for automating node configuration to facilitate peer-to-peer communication

A method of setting up a prospective-participant node as a participant node in a peer-to-peer network to enable the prospective-participant node to engage in peer-to-peer communication in the peer-to-peer network with one or more other participant nodes, wherein each of the one or more other participant nodes is configured with at least one respective network-connection setting defining how to address the participant node in the peer-to-peer network, the method comprising:

• (a) using at least one respective network-connection setting of at least one of the one or more other participant nodes as a service setting so as to generate participant-node-configuration data for configuring the prospective-participant node as a participant node in the peer-to-peer network, wherein the participant-node-configuration data comprises at least one network-connection setting that defines how to address the prospective-participant node as a participant node in the peer-to-peer network;
• and
• (b) the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes sending to the prospective-participant node the participant-node-configuration data, wherein the participant-node-configuration data is usable by the prospective-participant node to configure itself as a participant node;
• and
• (c) establishing a point-to-point communication link between the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes and the prospective-participant node, wherein the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes sending to the prospective-participant node the participant-node-configuration data comprises the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes sending the participant-node-configuration data over the point-to-point communication link to the prospective-participant node,
• wherein establishing a point-to-point communication link between the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes and the prospective-participant node comprises the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes engaging in a discovery process to establish a data-link-layer connection with the prospective-participant node, and
• wherein configured in the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes is a network identifier that is usable by the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes to advertise the identity of the peer-to-peer network to the prospective-participant node, and wherein the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes engaging in a discovery process to establish a data-link-layer connection with the prospective-participant node comprises (i) the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes advertising the network identifier to the prospective-participant node, (ii) the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes receiving from the prospective-participant node a response to the network identifier, and (iii) responsively, the at least one of the one or more other participant nodes negotiating data-link-layer connection parameters with the prospective-participant node so as to establish the data-link-layer connection.

A method of configuring two prospective-participant nodes to enable both of the prospective-participant nodes to engage in peer-to-peer communication as participant nodes in a peer-to-peer network, wherein both of the prospective-participant nodes are configurable with at least one respective network-connection setting defining how to address the prospective-participant node, the method comprising:

• (a) designating one of the prospective-participant nodes as a host node, wherein at least one respective network-connection settings previously configured in the host node defines how to address the host node as a first of the participant nodes in the peer-to-peer network;
• (b) designating another of the prospective-participant nodes as a guest node;
• (c) the host node using its at least one respective network-connection setting as a service setting so as to generate participant-node-configuration data for configuring the guest node as a second of the participant nodes, wherein the participant-node-configuration data comprises at least one network-connection setting that defines how to address the guest node as the second of the participant nodes in the peer-to-peer network;
• (d) establishing a point-to-point communication link between the host node and the guest node;
• (e) the guest node sending a request for network access over the point-to-point communication link to the host node;
• (f) responsive to the request, the host node sending the participant-node-configuration data over the point-to-point communication link to the guest node;
• (g) the guest node receiving the participant-node-configuration data;
• and
• (h) using the participant-node configuration data, the guest node configuring its at least one respective network-configuration setting so as to become the second of the participant nodes.