MESSAGE ORDERING IN A MESSAGING SYSTEM

A messaging handling system implements the well-known Two-Phase Commit protocol (comprising prepare and commit operations) to store messages related to transactions in a repository, but enforces message ordering. The commit operation is divided into two phases: a commit phase and a release phase. Prepare requests are implemented conventionally. Commit requests are implemented by immediately executing the commit phase of the operation, but delaying release of the message for reading from the repository until all prepare requests received prior to an instant request have released. In this manner, message ordering is preserved, while allowing use of conventional two-phase commit protocol processing.