Method for configuring a communication network containing a plurality of network nodes (R1, R2, D2, D3) and at least one central control unit (KE), wherein a communication structure, comprising physical or virtual network nodes and connections, is made available by the communication network and is used by the network nodes (R1, R2, D2, D3) to communicate in accordance with the respective functionalities and the respectively used services (S11, S12, S21, S22), having the following steps: - registering a further network node (D1) having a unique identification with the central control unit (KE), wherein the unique identification of the further network node (D1) is assigned at least one function class by the at least one central control unit (KE) , and the function class defines a service-specific functionality of the respective network node and comprises interfaces to the communication structure provided and/or required by the functionality of the respective network node, and the service-specific functionality comprises corresponding data and information about the exchange between network nodes; - adding the further network node (D1) to the communication network ; - sending configuration information by way of the added network node (D1), comprising at least the unique identification of the network node (D1) ; - forwarding the configuration information to the central control unit (KE) ; - authenticating the added network node (D1) based on the unique identification in the configuration information by way of the central control unit (KE) ; - deriving configuration and communication data for the added network node (D1) on the basis of the at least one function class that has been assigned to the unique identification of the added network node (D1) ; - reconfiguring the communication structure based on the configuration and communication data for the added network node (D1). - registering a further network node (D1) having a unique identification with the central control unit (KE), wherein the unique identification of the further network node (D1) is assigned at least one function class by the at least one central control unit (KE) , and the function class defines a service-specific functionality of the respective network node and comprises interfaces to the communication structure provided and/or required by the functionality of the respective network node, and the service-specific functionality comprises corresponding data and information about the exchange between network nodes; - adding the further network node (D1) to the communication network ; - sending configuration information by way of the added network node (D1), comprising at least the unique identification of the network node (D1) ; - forwarding the configuration information to the central control unit (KE) ; - authenticating the added network node (D1) based on the unique identification in the configuration information by way of the central control unit (KE) ; - deriving configuration and communication data for the added network node (D1) on the basis of the at least one function class that has been assigned to the unique identification of the added network node (D1) ; - reconfiguring the communication structure based on the configuration and communication data for the added network node (D1). <EOS>