Designing a UML 2.0 Deployment Diagram

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Use the following tips and techniques when you design a UML 2.0 Deployment Diagram. It can be convenient to start creation of a model with Deployment Diagrams if you are modeling a large system that is comprised of multiple modules, especially if these modules reside on different computers. You use Deployment Diagrams for modeling a physical structure of your system, while you use Component Diagrams for modeling a logical structure.

To design a UML 2.0 Deployment Diagram, follow this general procedure:

1. Create a hierarchy of execution environments, devices, and nodes. Execution environments usually represent software environment used to execute your system, such as an operating system. Devices usually represent hardware equipment, such as a printer, a hard disk, or a computer. Nodes represent the rest of physical entities, such as a file.

   Tip: You can create nested execution environments, devices, and nodes. For example, you can add a node inside of an execution environment, or a node inside of a device.

2. Create artifacts.
3. Create deployment and instance specifications. By doing this, you arrange physical locations of objects and other entities of your system.
4. Add operations to artifacts.
5. Once an operation is added, you can define its properties in the Object Inspector, which includes parameters, stereotype, multiplicity and more.
6. You can optionally create shortcuts to related elements of other diagrams.

To deploy an artifact to a target node:

1. In the diagram Tool Palette, choose the deployment button.
2. Click the artifact to be deployed. The valid source is denoted by a solid frame.
3. Drag-and-drop the deployment link to a target node. The valid target is denoted by a solid frame.

To define parameters of an operation:

1. Select the desired operation in an artifact.
2. In the Object Inspector, expand the General node and choose Parameters field.
3. Click the chooser button to open Add/Remove Parameters dialog box.
4. Click Add. This creates an entry in the parameters list.
5. Enter the parameter's name, type multiplicity, default value, and direction. Note that parameter type can be selected from the list of pre-defined types, or from the model.
6. Using the Add and Remove buttons, create the list of parameters.
7. Click OK when ready.

See Also

• Creating Shortcuts
• UML 2.0 Deployment Diagrams