Abstract: A dedicated configuration controller includes a configuration memory and a configuration processing unit. The memory stores configuration data for a data-processing device having a device processing unit, and the configuration processing unit couples the configuration data from the memory to the device processing unit before or during the initialization of the data-processing device. Such a configuration controller can reduce the time it takes to reconfigure a data-processing device by allowing a network administrator to modify the configuration data with minimum interruption to the operation of the device. Furthermore, such a configuration controller can often save the network administrator time by allowing him to simultaneously modify the configuration data of multiple data-processing devices. Moreover, one can program the controller to offload post-initialization tasks from the device processing unit.