Patent ID: 8620520

Claim:
A method for managing a plurality of devices interconnected as a communications network in a motor vehicle via one or a plurality of interconnected bus systems, comprising steps of: providing a network management software application in a memory allocated on one of the plurality of network devices, wherein the software application further includes a generic control module; operating the network management software application to detect at least one device connected to the one or plurality of interconnected bus systems; operating the generic control module to access and process data stored in at least one additional device to generate a device-specific control component for controlling the at least one additional device within the network, and determining whether said controlling is to be carried out only by the generic control module; and if the controlling is not limited to being carried out only by the generic control module, storing the generated device-specific control component in a memory within the at least one additional device, and allowing other of the plurality of devices interconnected as the communications network access to memory-stored device-specific control component in order to control the at least one additional device without interaction with the generic control module.