Ports

Ports

Description

Ports are the only interfaces of actors. A port has always a protocol assigned. Service Access Points (SAP) and Service Provision Points (SPP) are specialized ports that are used to define layering.

Motivation

  • Ports decouple interface definition (Protocols) from interface usage

  • Ports decouple the logical interface from the transport

Notation

Class Ports

These symbols can only appear on the border of an actor class symbol.

Ports that define an external interface of the ActorClass, are defined in the Interface. Ports that define an internal interface are defined in the Structure (e.g. internal ports).

  • External End Ports are defined in the Interface and the Structure

  • Internal End Ports are only defined in the Structure

  • Relay Ports are only defined in the Interface

  • End Ports are always connected to the internal behavior of the ActorClass

  • Replicated Ports can be defined with a fixed replication factor ( e.g. Port port18 [ 5 ]: ProtocolClass1 ) or a variable replication factor (e.g. Port port18[ * ]: ProtocolClass1 )

Element Graphical Notation Textual Notation
Class End Port
External Class End Port:
Internal Class End Port:
Conjugated Class End Port
External Conjugated Class End Port:
Internal Conjugated Class End Port:
Class Relay Port
Conjugated Class Relay Port
Replicated Class End Port
External Replicated Class End Port:
Internal Replicated Class End Port:
Conjugated Replicated Class End Port
External Conjugated Replicated Class End Port:
Internal Conjugated Replicated Class End Port:
Replicated Class Relay Port
Conjugated Replicated Class Relay Port

Reference Ports

These symbols can only appear on the border of an ActorReference symbol. Since the type of port is defined in the ActorClass, no textual notation for the Reference Ports exists.

Element Graphical Notation Textual Notation
Reference Port
implicit
Conjugated Reference Port
implicit
Replicated Reference Port
implicit
Conjugated Replicated Reference Port
implicit