Designing a UML 1.5 Deployment Diagram

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Use the following tips and techniques when you design a UML 1.5 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 1.5 Deployment Diagram, follow this general procedure:

1. Create a hierarchy of Nodes.

   Tip: You can create nested Nodes.

2. Create a hierarchy of Components. The largest component can be the whole system or its major part (for example, server application, IDE, service).

   Tip: You can create nested Components. There are two methods for creating a nested component:You can select an existing component and add a child component inside.Alternatively, you can create two separate components and connect them with an Association-Composition link.

3. Represent how Components resides on Nodes. You can represent this in two ways:
   • Use a supports link between the component and node. The supports link is a dependency link with the stereotype field set to support.
   • Graphically nest the Component within the Node.
4. Optionally, create Objects.
5. Create Interfaces. Each component can have an interface.
6. Indicate a temporary relationship between a Component and Node. Objects and components can migrate from one component instance to another component instance, and respectively from one node instance to another node instance. In such a case, the object (component) will be on its component (node) only temporarily. To indicate this, use the dependency relationship with a becomes stereotype.
7. You can optionally create shortcuts to related elements of other diagrams.

See Also

• Creating Shortcuts
• UML 1.5 Deployment Diagrams