SystemSoftware
System software represents software that provides or contributes to an environment for storing, executing, and using specific types of entities, components, and objects that have a specific business purpose and are deployed on it in the form of artifacts.

System software is a specialization of a node that is used to model the software environment in which artifacts run. This can be, for example, an operating system, a JEE application server, a database system, or a workflow engine. Also, system software can be used to represent, for example, communication middleware. Usually, system software is combined with a device representing the hardware environment to form a general node.

System software can be assigned to a device and to other system software; e.g., to model different layers of software running on top of each other. Artifacts can be assigned to (i.e., deployed on) system software, and realize system software. A node can contain system software.

The name of system software should preferably be a noun referring to the type of execution environment; e.g., "J2EE server". System software may contain other system software; e.g., an operating system containing a database.

: SystemSoftware (architecture_autodiagram)
Figure 118 : SystemSoftware (architecture_autodiagram)
SystemSoftwareNode