An architecture for components of a vehicle, wherein the architecture facilitates the upgrading, replacement, removal or addition of the components in the vehicle. In one embodiment, a network is installed in the vehicle, wherein the network comprises a transmission medium and one or more network devices coupled thereto. The network devices are addressable using IP addresses or object terminology. The network devices may be configured to determine the capabilities of other devices, or they may be configured to look up the services provided by devices on the network, and they may utilize these services and capabilities themselves. The network devices are not constrained to use predetermined designs or interfaces which may be necessitated by the use of proprietary buses or connections. The network devices may be automatically integrated into the network using a discover-and-join protocol and may easily be removed from the network.