A method and apparatus for controlling and coordinating a multi-component system. Each component in the system contains a computing device. Each computing device is controlled by software running on the computing device. A first portion of the software resident on each computing device is used to control operations needed to coordinate the activities of all the components in the system. This first portion is known as a “coordinating process.” A second portion of the software resident on each computing devised is used to control local processes (local activities) specific to that component. Each component in the system is capable of hosting and running the coordinating process. The coordinating process continually cycles from component to component while it is running. The continuous cycling of the coordinating process presents the programmer with a virtual machine in which there is a single coordinating process operating with a global view although, in fact, the data and computation remain distributed across every component in the system.