The invention relates to a method for the reliable transport of alarm messages in a distributed computer system, said computer system comprising components, in particular a plurality of components, the components being node computers, distributor units, sensors—preferably intelligent sensors—and actuators—preferably intelligent actuators—and all components having access to a global time of known precision, and the node computers, intelligent sensors and intelligent actuators exchanging messages via the distributor units. It is provided that the computer system includes intelligent alarm sensors or intelligent alarm sensors are assigned to the computer system, and an intelligent alarm sensor transmits two types of time-triggered messages, alarm messages having an alarm transport period prescribed a priori, and error detection messages having an error detection period prescribed a priori, and the time stamps for the occurrence of alarm events are included in an alarm monitoring interval, the alarm monitoring interval ending directly before the transmission of the alarm message and being at least twice as long as the alarm transport period, and an alarm message only being transmitted if at least one time stamp of an alarm event is included in the alarm message, and the current states of all alarms that are active immediately before the transmission of the error detection message are included in the periodic error detection messages.