Abstract: Communication between a service provider and a plurality of devices on a peer-to-peer network are enabled. One of the plurality of devices on the peer-to-peer network is selected for receiving invitations for media sessions with any of the plurality of devices from the service provider. The selected device transmits a registration message to the service provider indicating a unique address of the selected device to which invitations are to be sent. The unique address is associated with a first identifier for at least one of the plurality of devices by the service provider. Another one of the plurality of devices is selected in place of the selected device to receive subsequent invitations for media session upon detection of a reselection condition.

Abstract: A network device such as a terminal set in a distributed peer-to-peer communications network receives periodic notifications from other network devices indicating which network devices are currently receiving pages. When the network device wishes to send a page to a set of target network devices, it ascertains whether the target devices are already receiving a page. If not, the network device notifies other network devices that it is claiming the target devices for its exclusive paging use. Each device receiving the notification ascertains whether it is one of the target devices, and if so, prepares to receive a page. Absent any objections, the initiating device sends the page (e.g. audio or video) to the target devices. Upon completion, the network device relinquishes its claim to the target devices. If a target network device becomes engaged in a call while receiving a page, playing of the page may be ceased.

Abstract: Upon initial connection of a peer to a peer-to-peer network, the peer notifies other peers of its connection to the network. The peer receives existence notifications from other peers and may use them to create a list of the peers on the network, which may be sorted by the unique identifiers of each peer. A prospective network address is selected, e.g. based on the ordinal position of the peer within the sorted list. Conflict checking resolves conflicts between the prospective network address and the network address of other peers. Each peer may periodically notify the other peers of its network address, e.g. to prevent new peers from claiming the address. When a peer becomes inactive, another peer detecting this may begin periodically notifying the remaining peers that the address of the disconnected peer is already claimed. Peers may be Voice-over-IP telephone sets and network addresses may be directory numbers.

Abstract: To synchronize time between network devices equally capable of accurately maintaining an indication of current time, one of the network devices is deemed to be a reference for time and the other network devices synchronize their indications of current time to the reference. To synchronize copies of data at multiple network devices, each network device maintains a counter representative of the passage of time but not necessarily of current time. The counter at each device is periodically synchronized with the counters of other network devices. When data is changed at a network device, the value of the counter at the time of changing is stored in association with the changed data. Stored counter values are used to determine whether a local copy or a remote copy of the data is likely more recent and therefore preferable. A further test may be applied if a counter value comparison is inconclusive.

Abstract: Communication between a service provider and a plurality of devices on a peer-to-peer network are enabled. One of the plurality of devices on the peer-to-peer network is selected for receiving invitations for media sessions with any of the plurality of devices from the service provider. The selected device transmits a registration message to the service provider indicating a unique address of the selected device to which invitations are to be sent. The unique address is associated with a first identifier for at least one of the plurality of devices by the service provider. Another one of the plurality of devices is selected in place of the selected device to receive subsequent invitations for media session upon detection of a reselection condition.