How heterogeneous commit works

The heterogeneous commit protocol is a modified version of the standard two-phase commit protocol. The postdecision phase in the heterogeneous commit protocol is identical to the postdecision phases in the two-phase commit protocol. The precommit phase contains a minor modification, and a new phase, called the gateway commit phase, is added to the heterogeneous commit protocol.

The following topics explain the modification to the precommit phase and the gateway commit phase. For a detailed explanation of the postdecision phases, see Postdecision phase.