1. A method for updating settings of selected processors a multiprocessor system in cooperation with support hardware comprising one or more support processor, the method comprising the steps of: a) during normal operation of the multiprocessor system updating a spare processor with new scan chain data by inserting updated scan-initialization values via the support hardware; b) swapping an active processor and the updated spare processor by moving workload from the active processor to the updated spare processor, wherein post-swap the active processor is a new spare processor, and wherein post-swap the updated spare processor is an updated active processor; c) updating the new spare processor with new scan chain data by inserting updated scan-initialization values via the support hardware; and d) swapping back the updated active processor and the updated new spare processor by moving the workload from the updated active processor to the updated new spare processor, wherein post-swapback the updated active processor is again the updated spare processor, and wherein post-swapback the updated new spare processor is an updated active processor, and continuing steps (b)-(d) for another processor until all of the selected processors have been updated with new scan chain data.