A bus controller, operable to grant access to a bus structure for communication between a number of individual processor modules interconnected by the bus to form a multiprocessor system, is also operable to determine the number of processors connected to the bus. The bus controller, in round-robin fashion, sequentially grants each processor access to the bus by commanding the processor to send data. The processor responds either by sending data in synchronism with a data clock supplied by the bus controller or, if no data is to be sent, responds with a no acknowledgment (NAK) signal. Initially, and periodically, the bus controller checks to determine the number of processors by, beginning with the highest identifying numbered processor, sending to that processor a send command, and looking for a response either in the form of data being sent or a NAK signal. If neither of these responses is received, the bus controller will transmit a send command to the next highest identifying numbered processor in order, continuing this process until a response is received. At that time, the identifying number of the processor is saved, and thereafter only that number of processors are in the bus controller's repertoire, until the next check is made.