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:
- 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.
- Create artifacts.
- Create deployment and instance specifications. By doing this, you arrange physical locations of objects and other entities of your system.
- Add operations to artifacts.
- Once an operation is added, you can define its properties in the Object Inspector, which includes parameters, stereotype, multiplicity and more.
- You can optionally create shortcuts to related elements of other diagrams.
To deploy an artifact to a target node:
- In the diagram Tool Palette, choose the deployment button.
- Click the artifact to be deployed. The valid source is denoted by a solid frame.
- 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:
- Select the desired operation in an artifact.
- In the Object Inspector, expand the General node and choose Parameters field.
- Click the chooser button to open Add/Remove Parameters dialog box.
- Click Add. This creates an entry in the parameters list.
- 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.
- Using the Add and Remove buttons, create the list of parameters.
- Click OK when ready.