Abstract: A distributed system comprises a master node, at least one slave node, and two or more communication channels linking the master node to the at least one slave node. The master node is configured for transmitting the same message to the at least one slave node over each of the two or more communication channels, with a pre-determined delay between each channel transmission. In some embodiments, the system may also include a clock synchronization means configured such that the operation of each slave node is synchronized with the master node and/or a different slave node, irrespective of which channel transmission the slave node receives.