A method carried out in a network device that is included in a network, wherein the network device includes a control unit, a switch fabric, and a plurality of forwarding units (20A, 20N), wherein each forwarding unit of the plurality of forwarding units (20A, 20N) receives and sends data packets of traffic of said network and comprises at least one packet processor (24A, 24N) having a plurality of forwarding path elements (32A, 32N) that when executed, cause the at least one packet processor (24A, 24N) to identify packet properties and perform actions bound to the properties, wherein each of said forwarding units further comprises a server module, wherein said server module is part of a forwarding manager, wherein the forwarding manager (16A, 16N) translates data representing control processing operations received from applications into forwarding path elements (32A, 32N), wherein the forwarding manager (16A, 16N) represents forwarding path elements using corresponding nodes (30A, 30N), wherein each node (30A, 30N) is a data structure managed by the forwarding manager (16A, 16N), and wherein each node represents a single forwarding path element (32A, 32N); the method comprising: receiving, by the server module, the control processing operations from the control unit of the network device, wherein the control processing operations for a given packet are defined by the plurality of forwarding path elements (32A, 32N) that are chained together forming an internal forwarding path for that packet; and creating, by the server module, a dependencies data structure based on the control processing operations, wherein the dependencies data structure comprises one or more dependencies that each indicates, for a node of a plurality of nodes (30A, 30N), one or more nodes that reference the node; detecting, by the forwarding manager (16A, 16N) for an internal forwarding path executed by at least one packet processor (24A, 24N) of the forwarding unit (20A, 20N) of the network device, that the at least one packet processor of a plurality of packet processors (24A, 24N) has become available for processing packets for forwarding; in response to the detecting, ceasing, by the forwarding manager (16A, 16N), translation of control processing operations received from the control unit of the network device; programming, by the forwarding manager (16A, 16N), the plurality of forwarding path elements (32A, 32N) of the at least one packet processor based on the dependencies data structure stored in the forwarding manager (16A, 16N), in order from the forwarding path element closest to the point of egress of said packet processor that has become available to the forwarding path element closest to the point of ingress of said packet processor that has become available; and subsequent to programming the plurality of forwarding path elements (32A, 32N) of the at least one packet processor that has become available, resuming, by the forwarding manager (16A, 16N), translation of the control processing operations received from the control unit of the network device. receiving, by the server module, the control processing operations from the control unit of the network device, wherein the control processing operations for a given packet are defined by the plurality of forwarding path elements (32A, 32N) that are chained together forming an internal forwarding path for that packet; and creating, by the server module, a dependencies data structure based on the control processing operations, wherein the dependencies data structure comprises one or more dependencies that each indicates, for a node of a plurality of nodes (30A, 30N), one or more nodes that reference the node; detecting, by the forwarding manager (16A, 16N) for an internal forwarding path executed by at least one packet processor (24A, 24N) of the forwarding unit (20A, 20N) of the network device, that the at least one packet processor of a plurality of packet processors (24A, 24N) has become available for processing packets for forwarding; in response to the detecting, ceasing, by the forwarding manager (16A, 16N), translation of control processing operations received from the control unit of the network device; programming, by the forwarding manager (16A, 16N), the plurality of forwarding path elements (32A, 32N) of the at least one packet processor based on the dependencies data structure stored in the forwarding manager (16A, 16N), in order from the forwarding path element closest to the point of egress of said packet processor that has become available to the forwarding path element closest to the point of ingress of said packet processor that has become available; and subsequent to programming the plurality of forwarding path elements (32A, 32N) of the at least one packet processor that has become available, resuming, by the forwarding manager (16A, 16N), translation of the control processing operations received from the control unit of the network device.