Deployment Diagram

Definition

A deployment diagram is a mid-level architecture diagram work product that primarily documents the static deployment of the major data components and software components to the hardware components.

Objectives

The typical objectives of a deployment diagram is to:

• Document the major components of a system architecture.
• Document the deployment of software and data components to hardware components.
• Document the connections (including any networks) between the hardware components.

Benefits

The typical benefits of a deployment diagram are to:

• It clarifies the basic relationships between major system components.
• It is an input for the deployment activity.

Contents

The typical contents of a deployment diagram are:

• Hardware Component Icons
• Network Component Icons
• Network Connection Icons

Stakeholders

The typical stakeholders of a deployment diagram are:

• Producers:
  • Architecture Team
• Evaluators:
  • Project Manager
  • Technical Leader
• Approvers:
  • Project Manager
  • Technical Leader
  • Customer Representative
• Maintainers:
  • Architecture Team
• Users:
  • Software Development Team

Phases

• Business Strategy: Not Applicable
• Business Optimization: Not Applicable
• Initiation: Completed
• Construction: Maintained
• Delivery: Maintained
• Usage: Maintained
• Retirement: Archived

Preconditions

Deployment diagrams can typially be started if the following preconditions hold:

• The initiation phase has started.
• The architecture team is adequately staffed and trained in logical architecture production.

Inputs

The typical inputs to a deployment diagram include:

• Work Products:
  • Application Vision Statement
  • System Requirements Specification
• Stakeholders:
  • TBD

Guidelines

• TBD

Conventions

Deployment diagrams are typically constrained by the following conventions:

• Work Flow
• Content and Format Standard
• Inspection Checklist

Examples

The following example deployment diagram documents a Web-based auction application in terms of its associated hardware components (3D boxes), networks (clouds), and the connections between them. The hardware components are labeled with their names (top) and the software components deployed to them (bottom).