Network configuration data is automatically written to data structures in a networked image data processing environment. The environment includes several image processing systems (101-108) in which each image processing system has direct access to a respective frame storage device (111-118). Each image processing system includes a local configuration file specifying details of its locally connected storage device in combination with a network configuration data structure. A network (121) allows each image processing system to indirectly access the frame storage devices of other connected image processing systems. An image processing system transmits details of system configuration data to other networked processing systems. Furthermore, configuration data received from other networked image processing systems is added to local configuration data. Thus, when network configurations are changed, each system will identify its local condition, transmit this information to other systems and receive information from the other systems.