A distributed embedded system that allows for the reconfiguration of tasks and messages. The system includes a system configuration manager and a plurality of electronic control units (ECU) each having an ECU configuration manager. Each ECU configuration manager stores the current configuration data for task scheduling and bus/network accessing/retrieving for the current schedule for that ECU. The system configuration manager includes a separate configuration data table for each ECU that can be reconfigured by programming signals sent on a system bus. The system configuration manager transmits the new configuration data from the data table on the bus to the ECU configuration manager if the scheduling of the tasks, message retrieval from the bus and message transmission on the bus changes for an ECU as a result of adding new tasks or new ECUs to the system.