Patent ID: 7716175

Claim:
A method for efficiently distributing messages regarding events that affect or require use of a database in a distributed processing system where copies of the database are maintained by multiple processors, the method comprising: at a source node: (a) receiving a first message relating to a first telecommunications signaling event that affects a database maintained by each of a plurality of processing modules in a distributed processing system; (b) receiving a second message relating to a second telecommunications signaling event; (c) packing the first and second messages in a third message, wherein packing the first and second messages in a third message includes packing the first and second messages in the third message in a manner that communicates time ordering of the first and second events to the processing modules, wherein the first message is a multicast message for processing by at least two of the processing modules, wherein the second message is a unicast message for processing by a single processing module, and wherein the time ordering indicates a processing order of the messages at the processing modules as intended by the source node; and (d) multicasting the third message to the processing modules.