Patent ID: 7209974

Claim:
A system, comprising: multiple sending computer units, each for running at least one sending application process for sending an internal message; and multiple computer units, each for running at least one receiving application process for receiving a sent internal message; each receiving application process having at least one replicated copy residing in at least one of said multiple receiving computer units, wherein when sending the internal message from a sending application process to an intended receiving application process, said sending application process is arranged to send an identical copy of said internal message to at least one replicated copy of said intended receiving application process; one interface unit per one or more computer units for buffering and relaying internal messages sent to and from the corresponding computer units; multiple external links, each for linking a computer unit to its corresponding interface unit; and an internal interconnecting device for receiving internal messages relayed by the interface units corresponding to the sending computer units, and for forwarding each received internal message to the interface units corresponding to the respective receiving computer units one received internal message at a time, said interconnecting device internally coupled with the interface units, wherein at least one of said interface units, at least one of said external links and said internal interconnecting device are arranged to forward said identical copy of said internal message, sent by said sending application process, to said intended receiving application process and to each replicated copy of said intended receiving application process for receipt in identical order, and wherein at least one of said interface units, at least one of said external links and said internal interconnecting device are arranged to route an internal message sent by a sending application process to a receiving application process running in a same computer unit via said interconnecting device.