UML specification of distributed system environments

The specification of distributed systems is a complex task, which is made easier by the use of object-oriented design methodologies. With the advent of UML as a standard notation for object-oriented software design, the application of this notation to the design of distributed systems is appropriate. The design of distributed systems involves both software and hardware specifications, however, the UML notation is primarily directed at the design of the software within a system and the facilities directed towards the specification of the physical environment are limited. Specification of the physical environment using UML can be achieved, but by using alternative parts of the notation to the proposed implementation diagrams. Using the alternatives presented in this paper enables a satisfactory specification, which is for example, detailed enough for the automatic generation of performance models.