1. A method for downloading up-to-date versions of selected software from a plurality of software vendors over a network and for installing the up-to-date versions of selected of software to a hardware unit, the network comprising a first software handling machine configured to execute a download manager, a second software handling machine configured to execute a download supervisor and a plurality of download servers for downloading the up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors, the method comprising: associating, by said download manager, a transaction identifier of the hardware unit with selection data indicating the selected software for which said up-to-date versions of selected of software are to be downloaded to the hardware unit, wherein the selected software includes software that were pre-configured into the hardware unit at or before the time of sale of the hardware unit; and further wherein the transaction identifier identifies the hardware unit; recording, by said download supervisor, said transaction identifier of the hardware unit and said associated selection data in a central database operatively connected to the second software handling machine; sending a download transaction request comprising the transaction identifier of the hardware unit from the download manager to the download supervisor of the second software handling machine; determining, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, the selection data for the hardware unit by looking up the transaction identifier of the hardware unit in the central database; and responsive to determining, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, that the requested download transaction is authorized, performing the steps of: assembling, by the download supervisor of the second software handling machine, a download/installation instruction comprising up-to-date software access information for the selected software indicated by said selection data, wherein said software access information comprises a plurality of authentication codes for activating or downloading said up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit, the authentication code provided by an authentication subsystem of said download supervisor of the second software handling machine; communicating the download/installation instruction from the download supervisor of the second software handling machine to the download manager; and performing, by the download manager, a download and installation of the up-to-date versions of selected software from the plurality of software vendors to the hardware unit pursuant to the download/installation instruction, wherein the first software handling machine linked to the hardware unit by an external bus, and wherein the download manager executes upon detecting that the hardware unit is linked to the first software handling machine by said external bus.