Capturing port details on switches, routers, etc.

[kepNCI]

I am using EA to document our production network config, mainly for the purpose of future design. I want to capture the some port details on switches, routers, etc. I know UML does not offer any guidelines for network configuration. Visually on the diagram I see two ways of doing it and was wondering if anyone has any experience and/or suggestions as to which would be better for not only the visual diagram, but also for reporting/documentation.
1) actually link a port stereotype on the node and make the communication connection to the port.
OR
2) do not use the port, but instead make the communication connection to the node, but then use the communication connection's source/target qualifier properties to name the port.

[qwerty]

i'd use port with interfaces (see my EA for BA book). You could stereotype ports to make it part of a MDG and add tagged values for the info you need.

q.

[kepNCI]

I'm with you, i.e., I decided to use ports. I am having problems creating instances of the defined switch model after I added ports.

SETUP: To defined the configured switch:
I have a node stereotype defined for a Switch in a toolbox, complete with associated tagged values (manufacturer, model, # ports, serail#, location, IP Addess, etc).
In a package/diagram called "Switch Types". I have dragged the Switch node from my toolbox onto the diagram and call it "Switch" to represent a generic switch.
I then drag the same Switch Node onto the diagram and called it "Cisco" to represent a generic Cisco switch and created a generalization connection to "Switch" node. I set the Manufacturer tag to "Cisco" and delete all of the other tags (allowing the others to be inherited from the parent "Switch".  
I then drag the same Switch Node onto the diagram for each of the Cisco model switches we have and make a generaalization assoiciation to the "Cisco" switch, updating its tag for Model and # ports accordingly and deleteing all other tags (allowing it to inherit the Manufacter from the parent Cisco and the other tags from the grandparent "Switch".
When I want to create an instance of the specific model (I have another package/diagram for all of the switch instances, I drag the model node from the project browser onto the diagram and state I want an instance, then update the tags for the instance accordingly, deleting any null tags, allowing them to inherit from parents.

This method has worked great so far. But now I have a probelm.

On the Cisco Model node in my package/diagram for Switch Types, I added a port per the switch configuration.  Now when I drag that node onto my Switch Instance Package/Daigram, it allows be to select the embedded components and I select all.  Probelm is that it appears to create an instance of the port on the new switch instance, but it has no port name and some connection back to the classifier's port.  For example on the Switch Model config node which would be the classifier I have a port called "1/1".   When I create an instance with embedded ports, I get a port which in unnamed, but labeled on the diagram as "/1/1" which apparently is a reference to the classifier port. If I update the name on the instance to "1/1", the diagram label shows "1/48 /1/48".  What I think I want is an instance created where the ports are also instances with no classification back to the parent classifier, but cannot figure out how to do this, unless I create a new ports of the instance.  

Hope the above makes sense.

[qwerty]

I guess it makes sense. But yesterday I had an operation and I''m still under narcotic influence. So you need to wait for an answer until next week.

q.

[AndyJ]

I'm probably not following this thread very well but...

If you're trying to show the things that make this instance of an object an instance, have a look in the help for "Run State"

You can create a set of variables and then give them specific values for each instance.

Does that help?

Andy

[kepNCI]

Thanks, Andy.

In this case, I do not think Run State helps me any.  

However it did get me looking at another issue, that is, how I could designate a network instance as a future or proposed deployment. From what I could read, Obejct state would even be better, but for some reason it is not an option on the Advanced memu for my node stereotyped instance.

[qwerty]

Sorry, my brain is still not in good order for the above post. But for me a node instance shows Run State. Using 1007.

q.

[qwerty]

I then drag the same Switch Node onto the diagram and called it "Cisco" to represent a generic Cisco switch and created a generalization connection to "Switch" node. I set the Manufacturer tag to "Cisco" and delete all of the other tags (allowing the others to be inherited from the parent "Switch".

If you do that you create an instance. EA does not allow to drag the same element twice onto a diagram. You see that's an instance as it has the leading colon. If you want another generic switch create another one from the toolbox.

q.