Abstract: A system and method of distributing information from a central source to network elements in a communications network. The central source or network manager is augmented by a distributor which maintains a record of all table entries or transactions originating at the central source. The distributor also maintains a dynamic record of all network elements including current status information and the last transaction successfully received thereby. Each table entry is assigned a transaction number (NextTN) which is incremented by one with each new transaction. The transaction last received by a network element is assigned a transaction number (LastTN) which is one less than NextTN. If an element has been temporarily out of service, upon its return to service its LastTN is compared with the source's current NextTN and if the difference is greater than one, the entries are update sequentially beginning with the table entry following its LastTN.