A method and apparatus for identifying a data message that is eligible for discard. A beacon node periodically transmits a beacon message to a plurality of client nodes communicatively coupled via a network. Each beacon message includes a beacon sequence number and preferably, the beacon sequence numbers are authenticated by the beacon, node. The client nodes, upon receipt of the beacon messages, verify the authenticity of the respective received beacon sequence numbers and generate a local sequence number derived from the received beacon sequence number. When one client in the session has data to transmit to another client in the session, the sending client assembles a data message and inserts its local sequence number in the data message prior to transmission of the data message to the other client nodes in the session. The client nodes receiving the data message discard the data message if their respective local sequence number at the time of receipt of the data message exceeds the local sequence number inserted in the data message by a predetermined value. In one embodiment, the beacon node generates sequence numbers at a periodic interval P but only transmits 1 out of every m beacon sequence numbers to the client nodes in the session. The client nodes each set a local sequence counter equal to the beacon sequence number upon receipt of the beacon message and thereafter, increment the local sequence counter periodically at interval P. The local sequence counter value is employed as the local sequence number in each client node.