Concurrent flashing of processing units by means of network restructuring

The present invention provides a network of processing units having at least one switch that allows to disrupt the network between a first and a second processing unit. Disruption of the network by means of the switch effectively disconnects the first processing unit from the network and couples the first processing unit to a controller of the network. The controller is adapted to exchange data with the disconnected processing unit and thereby allows to selectively and directly exchange data with a selected processing unit. In particular in the framework of heterogeneous and hierarchical networks of processing units, the invention provides direct access to processing units and sub-networks and allows for an efficient and fast performance of diagnostic and maintenance procedures of sub-networks and the their corresponding processing units, such as e.g. performing a flashing procedure. By selectively disconnecting a sub-network, flashing can be performed selectively without shutting down of the entire network. Moreover, the invention allows for simultaneous flashing of various sub-networks and for autonomous compensation of network failures by means of the dynamic network restructuring.