A biological regulatory network can be modeled as a discrete function that
contains all available information on network component interactions. From this
function we can derive a graph representation of the network structure as well
as of the dynamics of the system. In this paper we introduce a method to
identify modules of the network that allow us to construct the behavior of the
given function from the dynamics of the modules. Here, it proves useful to
distinguish between dynamical and structural modules, and to define network
modules combining aspects of both. As a key concept we establish the notion of
symbolic steady state, which basically represents a set of states where the
behavior of the given function is in some sense predictable, and which gives
rise to suitable network modules. We apply the method to a regulatory network
involved in T helper cell differentiation
