Method for transmitting messages within a computer network, wherein the computer network comprises computing nodes, which computing nodes are interconnected via at least one star coupler and/or at least one multi-hop network, each computing node being connected to the at least one star coupler and/or the at least one multi-hop network via at least one communication line, and the computing nodes exchanging Ethernet messages with each other and with the at least one star coupler and/or the at least one multi-hop network, wherein a) at least a portion, e.g., one, two, more or all, of the Ethernet messages are communicated in a time-controlled manner, and b) at least one star coupler (201, 202, 203, 205, 207) implements at least one function, wherein the at least one function uses one, two, or more time-controlled Ethernet messages, and/or parts of one, two, or more Ethernet messages, as input parameters and generates one, two, or more Ethernet messages and/or parts of one, two, or more Ethernet messages as output, characterized in that the one, two or more Ethernet messages generated by the function are not identical with the Ethernet message(s) used as input parameters for the generation of said at least one generated Ethernet message; and c) for at least a part, e.g. for one, two, several or all of the time-controlled communicated Ethernet messages, the time-related use of the function and/or its multiple implementation in the star coupler is coupled to the communication schedule of the time-controlled messages, so that the timing of the function and/or its multiple implementation is, at least partly, predetermined by the communication schedule of the time-controlled messages, and wherein the coupling of the communication schedule to the use of the function and/or its multiple implementation in the star coupler (201, 202, 203, 205, 207) is such that one or more of the following conditions apply: a) at no time more Ethernet messages or parts of these Ethernet messages are delivered to the function or already processed by the function than the function is able to process simultaneously; b) the transmission times and/or forwarding times and/or receiving times of Ethernet messages, which are definable in the communication schedule, are selected such that the time interval from receiving a time-controlled Ethernet message in a star coupler (201, 202, 203, 205, 207) to processing thereof (1405, 1406) by the function does not exceed a determined duration; c) the transmission times and/or forwarding times and/or reception times of Ethernet messages, which are definable in the communication schedule, are selected such that the time interval from receiving a time-controlled Ethernet message in a star coupler (201, 202, 203, 205, 207) to processing thereof (1405, 1406) by the function does not fall below a given duration. a) at least a portion, e.g., one, two, more or all, of the Ethernet messages are communicated in a time-controlled manner, and b) at least one star coupler (201, 202, 203, 205, 207) implements at least one function, wherein the at least one function uses one, two, or more time-controlled Ethernet messages, and/or parts of one, two, or more Ethernet messages, as input parameters and generates one, two, or more Ethernet messages and/or parts of one, two, or more Ethernet messages as output, characterized in that the one, two or more Ethernet messages generated by the function are not identical with the Ethernet message(s) used as input parameters for the generation of said at least one generated Ethernet message; and c) for at least a part, e.g. for one, two, several or all of the time-controlled communicated Ethernet messages, the time-related use of the function and/or its multiple implementation in the star coupler is coupled to the communication schedule of the time-controlled messages, so that the timing of the function and/or its multiple implementation is, at least partly, predetermined by the communication schedule of the time-controlled messages, and wherein a) at no time more Ethernet messages or parts of these Ethernet messages are delivered to the function or already processed by the function than the function is able to process simultaneously; b) the transmission times and/or forwarding times and/or receiving times of Ethernet messages, which are definable in the communication schedule, are selected such that the time interval from receiving a time-controlled Ethernet message in a star coupler (201, 202, 203, 205, 207) to processing thereof (1405, 1406) by the function does not exceed a determined duration; c) the transmission times and/or forwarding times and/or reception times of Ethernet messages, which are definable in the communication schedule, are selected such that the time interval from receiving a time-controlled Ethernet message in a star coupler (201, 202, 203, 205, 207) to processing thereof (1405, 1406) by the function does not fall below a given duration.