Deployment diagrams show the configuration of run-time processing elements and the components, processes, and objects living on them [SDM, 1998]. It shows the physical relationships among software and hardware components in a system. A deployment diagram visualizes the distribution of components across the enterprise. The deployment diagram contains:

·         Nodes: A run-time physical object that represents a computational resource, generally having at least a memory and often processing capability as well, generally a hardware component, and

·          Connections: indicate a communication path between two nodes (may have a stereotype).

Figure 26 Components of a deployment diagram