Glossary - Rational Unified Process

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A class that provides common behavior across a set of subclasses but is not itself designed to have instances. An abstract class represents a concept; classes derived from it represent implementations of the concept. See also base class. Contrast: concrete class.

abstraction

The creation of a view or model that suppresses unnecessary details to focus on a specific set of details of interest

The essential characteristics of an entity that distinguish it from all other kinds of entities. An abstraction defines a boundary relative to the perspective of the viewer.

access modifier

A keyword that controls access to a class, method, or attribute. The access modifiers in Java are public, private, protected, and package, which is the default.

accessor methods

Methods that an object provides to define the interface to its instance variables. The accessor method to return the value of an instance variable is called a get method or getter method, and the mutator method to assign a value to an instance variable is called a set method or setter method.

acceptance

An action by which the customer accepts ownership of software products as a partial or complete performance of a contract.

ACL

Access Control List

action

The specification of an executable statement that forms an abstraction of a computational procedure. An action typically results in a change in the state of the system, and can be realized by sending a message to an object or modifying a link or a value of an attribute.

action sequence

An expression that resolves to a sequence of actions.

action state

A state that represents the execution of an atomic action, typically the invocation of an operation.

activation

The execution of an action.

active class

A class representing a thread of control in the system.

A class whose instances are active objects. See active object.

Active Server Pages (ASP)

Active Server Pages (Microsoft), a technology for providing dynamic behavior to web applications.

activity

A unit of work a worker may be asked to perform.

activity-based costing (ABC)

A methodology that measures the cost and performance of activities, resources, and cost objects. Resources are assigned to activities, then activities are assigned to cost objects based on their use. Activity based costing recognizes the causal relationships of cost drivers to activities.

activity-based management (ABM)

The broad discipline that focuses on achieving customer value and company profit by way of the management of activities. It draws on activity-based costing as a major source of information.

active object

An object that owns a thread and can initiate control activity. An instance of active class.

activity graph

A special case of a state machine that is used to model processes involving one or more classifiers. Contrast: statechart diagram. Synonym: activity diagram.

actor (instance)

Someone or something, outside the system that interacts with the system.

actor class

Defines a set of actor instances, in which each actor instance plays the same role in relation to the system.

A coherent set of roles that users of use cases play when interacting with these use cases. An actor has one role for each use case with which it communicates.

actor-generalization

An actor-generalization from an actor class (descendant) to another actor class (ancestor) indicates that the descendant inherits the role the ancestor can play in a use case.

actual parameter

Synonym: argument.

Advanced Program-to-Program Communication (APPC)

A communication protocol used primarily in IBM environments.

aggregate [class]

A class that represents the "whole" in an aggregation (whole-part) relationship. See aggregation.

aggregation

An association that models a whole-part relationship between an aggregate (the whole) and its parts.

A special form of association that specifies a whole-part relationship between the aggregate (whole) and a component part. See composition.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)

American Standard Code for Information Interchange. The 8-bit character encoding scheme used by most PCs and UNIX systems. It supersedes an earlier 7-bit ASCII standard.

analysis

The part of the software development process whose primary purpose is to formulate a model of the problem domain. Analysis focuses on what to do; design focuses on how to do it. See design.

analysis class

An abstraction of a role played by a design element in the system, typically within the context of a use-case realization. Analysis classes may provide an abstraction for several role, representing the common behavior of those roles. Analysis classes typically evolve into one or more design elements; for example, design classes and/or capsules, or design subsystems.

analysis & design

A core workflow in the Unified Process, whose purpose is to show how the system's use cases will be realized in implementation; (general) activities during which strategic and tactical decisions are made to meet the required functional and quality requirements of a system. For the result of analysis and design activities, see Design Model.

analysis mechanism

An architectural mechanism used early in the design process, during the period of discovery when key classes and subsystems are being identified. Typically analysis mechanisms capture the key aspects of a solution in a way that is implementation independent. Analysis mechanisms are usually unrelated to the problem domain, but instead are "computer science" concepts. They provide specific behaviors to a domain-related class or component, or correspond to the implementation of cooperation between classes and/or components. They may be implemented as a framework. Examples include mechanisms to handle persistence, inter-process communication, error or fault handling, notification, and messaging, to name a few.

analysis pattern

[FOW97a] speaks of analysis patterns as, ôà groups of concepts that represent a common construction in business modeling. It may be relevant to only one domain, or it may span many domains.ö Therefore, in this reference, the vocabulary of the domain does intrude into the description of the pattern. There is no reason why the definition in [FOW97a] should not be extended to domains other than business modeling. Another aspect of an analysis pattern is that it is an abstract, conceptual template, intended (through binding as with any pattern) for instantiation in an analysis model, which will then need further refinement through design. The scale of an analysis pattern can vary widely, though those presented in [FOW97a] are medium in scale, and would compose to form analysis models for entire applications.

analysis time

Refers to something that occurs during an analysis phase of the software development process. See design time, modeling time.

analyst

Member of the project team who is responsible for eliciting and interpreting the stakeholder needs, and communicating those needs to the entire team.

API

Application Programming Interface

APPC

Advanced Program-to-Program Communication

applet

A Java program designed to run within a Web browser. Contrast: application.

application

In Java programming, a self-contained, stand-alone Java program that includes main() method. Contrast: applet.

application programming interface (API)

A software interface that enables applications to communicate with each other. An API is the set of programming language constructs or statements that can be coded in an application program to obtain the specific functions and services provided by an underlying operating system or service program.

architectural baseline

The baseline at the end of the Elaboration phase, at which time the foundation structure and behavior of the system is stabilized.

architectural mechanism

Architectural mechanisms represent common concrete solutions to frequently encountered problems. They may be patterns of structure, patterns of behavior, or both. In the Rational Unified Process, architectural mechanism is used as an umbrella term for analysis mechanism, design mechanism, and implementation mechanism.

architectural pattern

[BUS96] defines an architectural pattern so:

ôAn architectural pattern expresses a fundamental structural organization schema for software systems. It provides a set of predefined subsystems, specifies their responsibilities, and includes rules and guidelines for organizing the relationships between them.ö

This is the interpretation we use in the Rational Unified Process. To elaborate a little: an architectural pattern is a pattern (that is, a solution template) at a particular scale, and is a template for concrete software architectures. It deals in system-wide properties and, typically, subsystem-scale (not class level) relationships. Architectural patterns seem, by their nature, not to be application domain dependentùthe vocabulary of a particular domain seems not to intrude into the description of the patternùalthough there is no reason in principle why architectural patterns cannot become specialized in this way. Compare with analysis pattern. The Software Architecture Document will present the architectural patterns used in the system.

architectural view

A view of the system architecture from a given perspective; focuses primarily on structure, modularity, essential components, and the main control flows.

architecture

The highest level concept of a system in its environment [IEEE]. The architecture of a software system (at a given point in time) is its organization or structure of significant components interacting through interfaces, those components being composed of successively smaller components and interfaces.

The organizational structure of a system. An architecture can be recursively decomposed into parts that interact through interfaces, relationships that connect parts, and constraints for assembling parts. Parts that interact through interfaces include classes, components and subsystems.

architecture, executable

See executable architecture.

argument

A binding for a parameter that resolves to a run-time instance. Synonym: actual parameter. Contrast: parameter.

A data element, or value, included as a parameter in a method call. Arguments provide additional information that the called method can use to perform the requested operation.

artifact

(1) A piece of information that (1) is produced, modified, or used by a process, (2) defines an area of responsibility, and (3) is subject to version control. An artifact can be a model, a model element, or a document. A document can enclose other documents.

A piece of information that is used or produced by a software development process. An artifact can be a model, a description, or software. Synonym: product.

artifact guidelines

A description of how to work with a particular artifact, including how to create and revise the artifact.

artifact set

A set of related artifacts which presents one aspects of the system. Artifact sets cut across core workflows, as several artifacts are used in a number of core workflows; for example, the Risk List, the Software Architecture Document, and the Iteration Plan.

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange

ASP

Active Server Pages

association

A relationship that models a bi-directional semantic connection among instances.

The semantic relationship between two or more classifiers that specifies connections among their instances.

association class

A model element that has both association and class properties. An association class can be seen as an association that also has class properties, or as a class that also has association properties.

association end

The endpoint of an association, which connects the association to a classifier.

asynchronous action

A request where the sending object does not pause to wait for results. Contrast: synchronous action.

attribute

An attribute defined by a class represents a named property of the class or its objects. An attribute has a type that defines the type of its instances.

A feature within a classifier that describes a range of values that instances of the classifier may hold.

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base class

A class from which other classes or beans are derived. A base class may itself be derived from another base class. See abstract class.

baseline

A reviewed and approved release of artifacts that constitutes an agreed basis for further evolution or development and that can be changed only through a formal procedure, such as change management and configuration control.

Bean

A small component that can be used to build applications. See JavaBean.

BeanInfo

A companion class for a bean that defines a set of methods that can be accessed to retrieve information on the beanÆs properties, events, and methods.

behavior

The observable effects of an operation or event, including its results.

behavioral feature

A dynamic feature of a model element, such as an operation or method.

behavioral model aspect

A model aspect that emphasizes the behavior of the instances in a system, including their methods, collaborations, and state histories.

beta testing

Pre-release testing in which a sampling of the intended customer base tries out the product.

binary association

An association between two classes. A special case of an n-ary association.

binding

The creation of a model element from a template by supplying arguments for the parameters of the template.

boolean

An enumeration whose values are true and false.

boolean expression

An expression that evaluates to a boolean value.

boundary class

A class used to model communication between the system's environments and its inner workings.

break point

A point in a computer program where the execution will be halted.

build

An operational version of a system or part of a system that demonstrates a subset of the capabilities to be provided in the final product.

business actor (instance)

Someone or something, outside the business that interacts with the business.

business actor class

Defines a set of business-actor instances, in which each business-actor instance plays the same role in relation to the business.

business creation

To perform business engineering where the goal is to create a new business process, a new line of business or a new organization.

business engineering

A set of techniques a company uses to design its business according to specific goals. Business engineering techniques can be used for both business reengineering, business improvement, and business creation.

business entity

A business entity represents a "thing" handled or used by business workers.

business improvement

To perform business engineering where the work of change is local and does not span the entire business. It involves trimming costs and lead times and monitoring service and quality.

business object model

An object model describing the realization of business use cases.

business modeling

Encompasses all modeling techniques you can use to visually model a business. These are a subset of the techniques you may use to perform business engineering.

business process

A group of logically related activities that use the resources of the organization to provide defined results in support of the organization's objectives. In the Rational Unified Process, we define business processes using business use cases, which show the expected behavior of the business, and business use-case realizations, which show how that behavior is realized by business workers and business entities. See also process.

business process engineering

See business engineering.

business reengineering

To perform business engineering where the work of change includes taking a comprehensive view of the entire existing business and think through why you do what you do. You question all existing business processes and try to find completely new ways of reconstructing them to achieve radical improvements. Other names for this are business process reengineering (BPR) and process innovation.

business rule

A declaration of policy or condition that must be satisfied within the business.

business use case (class)

A business use case defines a set of business use-case instances, where each instance is a sequence of actions a business performs that yields an observable result of value to a particular business actor. A business use-case class contains all main, alternate workflows related to producing the "observable result of value".

business use-case instance

A sequence of actions performed by a business that yields an observable result of value to a particular business actor.

business use-case model

A model of the business intended functions. The business use-case model is used as an essential input to identify roles and deliverables in the organization.

business use-case package

A business use-case package is a collection of business use cases, business actors, relationships, diagrams, and other packages; it is used to structure the business use-case model by dividing it into smaller parts.

business use-case realization

A business use-case realization describes how the workflow of a particular business use case is realized within the business object model, in terms of collaborating business objects.

business worker

A business worker represents a role or set of roles in the business. A business worker interacts with other business workers and manipulates business entities while participating in business use-case realizations.

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call: An action state that invokes an operation on a classifier.
call level interface (CLI): A callable API for database access, which is an alternative to an embedded SQL application program interface. In contrast to embedded SQL, CLI does not require precompiling or binding by the user, but instead provides a standard set of functions to process SQL statements and related services at run time.
capsule: A specific design pattern which represents an encapsulated thread of control in the system. A capsule is a stereotyped class with a specific set of required and restricted associations and properties.
cardinality: The number of elements in a set. Contrast: multiplicity.
CBD: Component-Based Development
CCB: Change Control Board
CDR: Critical Design Review
CGI: Common Gateway Interface
change control board (CCB): The role of the CCB is to provide a central control mechanism to ensure that every change request is properly considered, authorized and coordinated.
child: In a generalization relationship, the specialization of another element, the parent. See subclass, subtype. Contrast: parent.
change management: The activity of controlling and tracking changes to artifacts. See also scope management.
change request (CR): A general term for any request from a stakeholder to change an artifact or process. Documented in the Change Request is information on the origin and impact of the current problem, the proposed solution, and its cost. See also enhancement request, defect.
checkpoints: A set of conditions that well-formed artifacts of a particular type should exhibit. May also be stated in the form of questions which should be answered in the affirmative.
CLI: Call Level Interface
class: A description of a set of objects that share the same attributes, operations, methods, relationships, and semantics. A class may use a set of interfaces to specify collections of operations it provides to its environment. See interface.
class diagram: A diagram that shows a collection of declarative (static) model elements, such as classes, types, and their contents and relationships.
class hierarchy: The relationships among classes that share a single inheritance. All Java classes inherit from the Object class.
class library: A collection of classes.
class method: See method.
classifier: A mechanism that describes behavioral and structural features. Classifiers include interfaces, classes, datatypes, and components.
client: A classifier that requests a service from another classifier. Contrast: supplier.
client/server: The model of interaction in distributed data processing where a program at one location sends a request to a program at another location and awaits a response. The requesting program is called a client, and the answering program is called a server.
COBOL: Common Business Oriented Language
collaboration: (1) Is a description of a collection of objects that interact to implement some behavior within a context. It describes a society of cooperating objects assembled to carry out some purpose. (2) It captures a more holistic view of behavior in the exchange of messages within a network of objects. (3) Collaborations show the unity of the three major structures underlying computation: data structure, control flow, and data flow. (4) A collaboration has a static and a dynamic part. The static part describes the roles that objects and links play in an instantiation of the collaboration. The dynamic part consists of one or more dynamic interactions that show message flow over time in the collaboration to perform computations. A collaboration may have a set of messages to describe its dynamic behavior. (5) A collaboration with messages is an interaction.; The specification of how an operation or classifier, such as a use case, is realized by a set of classifiers and associations playing specific roles used in a specific way. The collaboration defines an interaction. See interaction.
collaboration diagram: (1) A collaboration diagram describes a pattern of interaction among objects; it shows the objects participating in the interaction by their links to each other and the messages they send to each other. (2) It is a class diagram that contains classifier roles and association roles rather than just classifiers and associations. (3) Collaboration diagrams and sequence diagrams both show interactions, but they emphasize different aspects. Sequence diagrams show time sequences clearly but do not show object relationships explicitly. Collaboration diagrams show object relationships clearly, but time sequences must be obtained from sequence numbers.; A diagram that shows interactions organized around the structure of a model, using either classifiers and associations or instances and links. Unlike a sequence diagram, a collaboration diagram shows the relationships among the instances. Sequence diagrams and collaboration diagrams express similar information, but show it in different ways. See sequence diagram.
COM: Component Object Model (Microsoft)
comment: An annotation attached to an element or a collection of elements. A note has no semantics. Contrast: constraint.
commit: The operation that ends a unit of work to make permanent the changes it has made to resources (transaction or data).
Common Gateway Interface (CGI): A standard protocol through which a Web server can execute programs running on the server machine. CGI programs are executed in response to requests from Web client browsers.
Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA): A middleware specification which defines a software busùthe Object Request Broker (ORB)ùthat provides the infrastructure.
communicate-association: An association between an actor class and a use case class, indicating that their instances interact. The direction of the association indicates the initiator of the communication (Unified Process convention).
communication association: In a deployment diagram an association between nodes that implies a communication. See deployment diagram.
compile time: Refers to something that occurs during the compilation of a software module. See modeling time, run time.
component: A non-trivial, nearly independent, and replaceable part of a system that fulfills a clear function in the context of a well-defined architecture. A component conforms to and provides the physical realization of a set of interfaces.; A physical, replaceable part of a system that packages implementation and conforms to and provides the realization of a set of interfaces. A component represents a physical piece of implementation of a system, including software code (source, binary or executable) or equivalents such as scripts or command files.
component diagram: A diagram that shows the organizations and dependencies among components.
component model: An architecture and an API that allows developers to define reusable segments of code that can be combined to create a program. VisualAge for Java uses the JavaBeans component model.
component-based development (CBD): The creation and deployment of software-intensive systems assembled from components as well as the development and harvesting of such components.
composite aggregation: Synonym: composition.
composite bean: A bean that is composed of other beans. A composite bean can contain visual beans, nonvisual beans, or both. See also bean, nonvisual bean, and visual bean.
composite [class]: A class that is related to one or more classes by a composition relationship. See composition.
composite state: A state that consists of either concurrent (orthogonal) substates or sequential (disjoint) substates. See substate.
composite substate: A substate that can be held simultaneously with other substates contained in the same composite state. Synonym: region. See composite state.
composition: A form of aggregation association with strong ownership and coincident lifetime as part of the whole. Parts with non-fixed multiplicity may be created after the composite itself, but once created they live and die with it; that is, they share lifetimes. Such parts can also be explicitly removed before the death of the composite. Composition may be recursive. Synonym: composite aggregation.
concrete: An entity in a configuration that satisfies an end-use function and can be uniquely identified at a given reference point. (ISO)
concrete class: A class that can be directly instantiated. Contrast: abstract class.
concurrency: The occurrence of two or more activities during the same time interval. Concurrency can be achieved by interleaving or simultaneously executing two or more threads. See thread.
concurrent substate: A substate that can be held simultaneously with other substates contained in the same composite state. See composite substate. Contrast: disjoint substate.
configuration: (1) general: The arrangement of a system or network as defined by the nature, number, and chief characteristics of its functional units; applies to both hardware or software configuration.; (2) The requirements, design, and implementation that define a particular version of a system or system component. See configuration management.
configuration item: An entity in a configuration that satisfies an end-use function and can be uniquely identified at a given reference point. (ISO)
configuration management: A supporting process whose purpose is to identify, define, and baseline items; control modifications and releases of these items; report and record status of the items and modification requests; ensure completeness, consistency and correctness of the items; and control storage, handling and delivery of the items. (ISO)
constraint: A semantic condition or restriction. Certain constraints are predefined in the UML, others may be user defined. Constraints are one of three extensibility mechanisms in UML. See tagged value, stereotype.
construction: The third phase of the Unified Process, in which the software is brought from an executable architectural baseline to the point at which it is ready to be transitioned to the user community.
constructor: A special class method that has the same name as the class and is used to construct and possibly initialize objects of its class type.
container: (1) An instance that exists to contain other instances, and that provides operations to access or iterate over its contents. (for example, arrays, lists, sets). (2) A component that exists to contain other components.
containment hierarchy: A namespace hierarchy consisting of model elements, and the containment relationships that exist between them. A containment hierarchy forms an acyclic graph.
context: A view of a set of related modeling elements for a particular purpose, such as specifying an operation.
control class: A class used to model behavior specific to one, or a several use cases.
conversational: A communication model where two distributed applications exchange information by way of a conversation; typically one application starts (or allocates) the conversation, sends some data, and allows the other application to send some data. Both applications continue in turn until one decides to finish (or de-allocate). The conversational model is a synchronous form of communication.
Cookies: Small files that your Web browser creates at the request of Web sites you visit; the browser sends the contents of the file to the site upon subsequent visits.
CORBA: Common Object Request Broker Architecture
core workflow: One of nine core workflows in the Rational Unified Process: Business Modeling, Requirements, Analysis & Design, Implementation, Test, Deployment, Configuration & Change Management, Project Management, Environment. An abstract business use case of the Software-Engineering Business.
CR: Change Request
critical design review (CDR): In the waterfall life cycle, the major review held when the detailed design is completed. See Guidelines: Software Development Plan.
customer: A person or organization, internal or external to the producing organization, who takes financial responsibility for the system. In a large system this may not be the end user. The customer is the ultimate recipient of the developed product and its artifacts. See also stakeholder.
cycle: One complete pass through the four phases: inception, elaboration, construction and transition. The span of time between the beginning of the inception phase and the end of the transition phase.

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database

(1) A collection of related data stored together with controlled redundancy according to a scheme to serve one or more applications. (2) All data files stored in the system. (3) A set of data stored together and managed by a database management system.

database management system (DBMS)

A computer program that manages data by providing the services of centralized control, data independence, and complex physical structures for efficient access, integrity, recovery, concurrency control, privacy, and security.

datatype

A descriptor of a set of values that lack identity and whose operations do not have side effects. Datatypes include primitive pre-defined types and user-definable types. Pre-defined types include numbers, string and time. User-definable types include enumerations.

DBA

Database Administrator

DBCS

Double-Byte Character Set

DBMS

Database Management System

DCE

Distributed Computing Environment

DCOM

Distributed Object Model (Microsoft)

deadlock

A condition in which two independent threads of control are blocked, each waiting for the other to take some action. Deadlock often arises from adding synchronization mechanisms to avoid race conditions.

defect

An anomaly, or flaw, in a delivered work product. Examples include such things as omissions and imperfections found during early lifecycle phases and symptoms of faults contained in software sufficiently mature for test or operation. A defect can be any kind of issue you want tracked and resolved. See also change request.

defining model [MOF]

The model on which a repository is based. Any number of repositories can have the same defining model.

delegation

The ability of an object to issue a message to another object in response to a message. Delegation can be used as an alternative to inheritance. Contrast: inheritance.

deliverable

An output from a process that has a value, material or otherwise, to a customer or other stakeholder.

de-marshal

To deconstruct an object so that it can be written as a stream of bytes. Synonym for flatten and serialize.

demilitarized zone (DMZ)

This term is now commonly used in the industry to describe a sub-network, typically used for web servers that are protected by firewalls from both the external Internet and a companyÆs internal network.

dependency

A relationship between two modeling elements, in which a change to one modeling element (the independent element) will affect the other modeling element (the dependent element).

deployment

A core process workflow in the software-engineering process, whose purpose is to ensure a successful transition of the developed system to its users. Included are artifacts such as training materials and installation procedures.

deployment diagram

A diagram that shows the configuration of run-time processing nodes and the components, processes, and objects that live on them. Components represent run-time manifestations of code units. See component diagram.

deployment unit

A set of objects or components that are allocated to a process or a processor as a group. A distribution unit can be represented by a run-time composite or an aggregate.

deployment view

An architectural view that describes one or several system configurations; the mapping of software components (tasks, modules) to the computing nodes in these configurations.

derived element

A model element that can be computed from another element, but that is shown for clarity or that is included for design purposes even though it adds no semantic information.

deserialize

To construct an object from a de-marshaled state. Synonym for marshal and resurrect.

design

The part of the software development process whose primary purpose is to decide how the system will be implemented. During design, strategic and tactical decisions are made to meet the required functional and quality requirements of a system. See analysis.

design time

Refers to something that occurs during a design phase of the software development process. See modeling time. Contrast: analysis time.

design mechanism

An architectural mechanism used during the design process, during the period in which the details of the design are being worked-out. They are related to associated analysis mechanisms, of which they are additional refinements, and they may bind one or more architectural and design patterns. There is not necessarily any difference in scale between the analysis mechanism and the design mechanismùit is thus possible to speak of a persistence mechanism at the analysis level and the design level and mean the same thing, but at a different level of refinement. A design mechanism assumes some details of the implementation environment, but it is not tied to a specific implementation (as is an implementation mechanism). For example, the analysis mechanism for inter-process communication may be refined by several design mechanisms for interprocess communication (IPC): shared memory, function-call-like IPC, semaphore-based IPC, and so on. Each design mechanism has certain strengths and weaknesses; the choice of a particular design mechanism is determined by the characteristics of the objects using the mechanism.

design model

An object model describing the realization of use cases; serves as an abstraction of the implementation model and its source code.

design package

A collection of classes, relationships, use-case realizations, diagrams, and other packages, it is used to structure the design model by dividing it into smaller parts. It's the logical analogue of the implementation subsystem.

design pattern

[GAM94] defines a design pattern so:

ôA design pattern provides a scheme for refining the subsystems or components of a software system, or the relationships between them. It describes a commonly-recurring structure of communicating components that solves a general design problem within a particular context.ö

Design patterns are medium to small-scale patterns, smaller in scale than architectural patterns but typically independent of programming language. When a design pattern is bound, it will form a portion of a concrete design model (perhaps a portion of a design mechanism). Design patterns tend, because of their level, to be applicable across domains.

design subsystem

A model element which has the semantics of a package (it can contain other model elements) and a class (it has behavior). The behavior of the subsystem is provided by classes or other subsystems it contains. A subsystem realizes one or more interfaces, which define the behavior it can perform. Contrast: design package.

developer

A person responsible for developing the required functionality in accordance with project-adopted standards and procedures. This can include performing activities in any of the requirements, analysis & design, implementation, and test workflows.

development case

The software-engineering process used by the performing organization. It is developed as a configuration, or customization, of the Unified Process product, and adapted to the project's needs.

development process

A set of partially ordered steps performed for a given purpose during software development, such as constructing models or implementing models.

device

A type of node which provides supporting capabilities to a processor. Although it may be capable of running embedded programs (device drivers), it cannot execute general-purpose applications, but instead exists only to serve a processor running general-purpose applications.

diagram

A graphical depiction of all or part of a model.

A graphical presentation of a collection of model elements, most often rendered as a connected graph of arcs (relationships) and vertices (other model elements). UML supports the following diagrams: class diagram, object diagram, use-case diagram, sequence diagram, collaboration diagram, statechart diagram, activity diagram, component diagram, and deployment diagram.

disjoint substate

A substate that cannot be held simultaneously with other substates contained in the same composite state. See composite state. Contrast: concurrent substate.

Distributed Computing Environment (DCE)

Distributed Computing Environment. Adopted by the computer industry as a de facto standard for distributed computing. DCE allows computers from a variety of vendors to communicate transparently and share resources such as computing power, files, printers, and other objects in the network.

distributed processing

Distributed processing is an application or systems model in which function and data can be distributed across multiple computing resources connected on a LAN or WAN. See client/server computing.

DLL

Dynamic Link Library

DMZ

De-Militarized Zone

DNS

Domain Name Services

document

A document is a collection of information that is intended to be represented on paper, or in a medium using a paper metaphor. The paper metaphor includes the concept of pages, and it has either an implicit or explicit sequence of contents. The information is in text or two-dimensional pictures. Examples of paper metaphors are word processor documents, spreadsheets, schedules, Gantt charts, web-pages, or overhead slide presentations.

document description

Describes the contents of a particular document.

document template

A concrete tool template, such as a Adobe« FrameMakerÖ or Microsoft« WordÖ template.

domain

An area of knowledge or activity characterized by a family of related systems.

An area of knowledge or activity characterized by a set of concepts and terminology understood by practitioners in that area.

domain model

A domain model captures the most important types of objects in the context of the domain. The domain objects represent the entities that exist or events that transpire in the environment in which the system works. The domain model is a subset of the business object model.

domain name server

A system for translating domain names such as www.software.ibm.com into numeric Internet protocol addresses such as 123.45.67.8.

double-byte character set (DBCS)

A set of characters in which each character is represented by 2 bytes. Languages such as Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, which contain more symbols than can be represented by 256 code points, require double- byte character sets. Compare with single-byte character set.

dynamic classification

A semantic variation of generalization in which an object may change type or role. Contrast: static classification.

dynamic information

Information that is created at the time the user requests it. Dynamic information changes over time so that each time users view it, they see different content.

dynamic link library (DLL)

A file containing executable code and data bound to a program at run time rather than at link time. The C++ Access Builder generates beans and C++ wrappers that let your Java programs access C++ DLLs.

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e-Business: Either (1) the transaction of business over an electronic medium such as the Internet or (2) a business that uses Internet technologies and network computing in their internal business processes (via intranets), their business relationships (via extranets), and the buying and selling of goods, services, and information (via electronic commerce).
EJB: Enterprise JavaBean
elaboration: The second phase of the process where the product vision and its architecture are defined.
element: An atomic constituent of a model.
encapsulation: The hiding of a software objectÆs internal representation. The object provides an interface that queries and manipulates the data without exposing its underlying structure.
enclosed document: A document can be enclosed by another document to collect a set of documents into a whole; the enclosing document as well as the individual enclosures are regarded as separate artifacts.
enhancement request: A type of stakeholder request that specifies a new feature or functionality of the system. See also change request.
Enterprise JavaBean (EJB): An EJB is a non-visual, remote object designed to run on a server and be invoked by clients. An EJB can be built out of multiple, non-visual JavaBeans. EJBs are intended to live on one machine and be invoked remotely from another machine. They are platform-independent. Once a bean is written, it can be used on any client or server platform that supports Java.
entity class: A class used to model information that has been stored by the system, and the associated behavior. A generic class, reused in many use cases, often with persistent characteristics. An entity class defines a set of entity objects, which participate in several use cases and typically survive those use cases.
entry action: An action executed upon entering a state in a state machine regardless of the transition taken to reach that state.
enumeration: A list of named values used as the range of a particular attribute type. For example, RGBColor = {red, green, blue}. Boolean is a predefined enumeration with values from the set {false, true}.
environment: A core supporting workflow in the software-engineering process, whose purpose is to define and manage the environment in which the system is being developed. Includes process descriptions, configuration management, and development tools.
ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning
event: The specification of a significant occurrence that has a location in time and space. In the context of state diagrams, an event is an occurrence that can trigger a transition.
event-to-method connection: A connection from an event generated by a bean to a method of a bean. When the connected event occurs, the method is executed.
evolution: The life of the software after its initial development cycle; any subsequent cycle, during which the product evolves.
evolutionary: An iterative development strategy that acknowledges that user needs are not fully understood and therefore requirements are refined in each succeeding iteration (elaboration phase).
executable architecture: An executable architecture is a partial implementation of the system, built to demonstrate selected system functions and properties, in particular those satisfying non-functional requirements. It is built during the elaboration phase to mitigate risks related to performance, throughput, capacity, reliability and other 'ilities', so that the complete functional capability of the system may be added in the construction phase on a solid foundation, without fear of breakage. It is the intention of the Rational Unified Process that the executable architecture be built as an evolutionary prototype, with the intention of retaining what is found to work (and satisfies requirements), and making it part of the deliverable system.
exit action: An action executed upon exiting a state in a state machine regardless of the transition taken to exit that state.
export: In the context of packages, to make an element visible outside its enclosing namespace. See visibility. Contrast: export [OMA], import.
expression: A string that evaluates to a value of a particular type. For example, the expression "(7 + 5 * 3)" evaluates to a value of type number.
extend: A relationship from an extension use case to a base use case, specifying how the behavior defined for the extension use case can be inserted into the behavior defined for the base use case.
extend-relationship: An extend-relationship from a use-case class A to a use-case class B indicates that an instance of B may include (subject to specific conditions specified in the extension) the behavior specified by A. Behavior specified by several extenders of a single target use case can occur within a single use-case instance.

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facade: A special package, stereotyped ½facade╗, within a subsystem that organizes and exports all information needed by the clients of the subsystem. Included in this package are interfaces (where the interfaces are unique to the subsystem), realization relationships to interfaces outside the subsystem, and any documentation needed by clients of the subsystem to use the subsystem.
factory: A nonvisual bean capable of dynamically creating new instances of a specified bean.
fault: An accidental condition that causes a component in the implementation model to fail to perform its required behavior. A fault is the root cause of one or more defects.
feature: An externally observable service provided by the system which directly fulfills a stakeholder need.; A property, like operation or attribute, which is encapsulated within a classifier, such as an interface, a class or a datatype.
field: See attribute.
file transfer protocol (FTP): The basic Internet function that enables files to be transferred between computers. You can use it to download files from a remote, host computer, as well as to upload files from your computer to a remote, host computer.
final state: A special kind of state signifying that the enclosing composite state or the entire state machine is completed.
fire: To execute a state transition. See transition.
Firewall: A computer, or programmable device, with associated software which can be used to restrict traffic passing through it according to defined rules. Controls would typically be applied based on the origin or destination address and the TCP/IP port number.
flatten: Synonymous with de-marshal.
focus of control: A symbol on a sequence diagram that shows the period of time during which an object is performing an action, either directly or through a subordinate procedure.
formal parameter: Synonym: parameter.
framework: A micro-architecture that provides an extensible template for applications within a specific domain.
FTP: File Transfer Protocol
FURPS: Functionality, Usability, Reliability, Performance, Supportability: this acronym represents categories for assessing product quality:

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gateway: A host computer that connects networks that communicate in different languages; for example, a gateway connects a companyÆs LAN to the Internet.
generalizable element: A model element that may participate in a generalization relationship. See generalization.
generalization: A taxonomic relationship between a more general element and a more specific element. The more specific element is fully consistent with the more general element and contains additional information. An instance of the more specific element may be used where the more general element is allowed. See inheritance.
generation: Final release at the end of a cycle.
graphical user interface (GUI): A type of interface that enables users to communicate with a program by manipulating graphical features, rather than by entering commands. Typically, a GUI includes a combination of graphics, pointing devices, menu bars and other menus, overlapping windows, and icons.
green-field development: Development "starting from scratch", as opposed to "evolution of an existing system" or "reengineering of a legacy piece". Originated from the transformation that takes place when building a new factory on an undeveloped siteùwith grass on it.
guard condition: A condition that must be satisfied in order to enable an associated transition to fire.
GUI: Graphical User Interface
home page: See Start page.
HotJava: A Java-enabled Web and intranet browser developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. HotJava is written in Java.
HTML: HyperText Markup Language
HTML browser: See web browser.
HTTP: HyperText Transport Protocol
HTTP request: A transaction initiated by a Web browser and adhering to HTTP. The server usually responds with HTML data, but can send other kinds of objects as well.
hyperlinks: Areas on a Web page that, when clicked, connect you to other areas on the page or other Web pages.
hypertext: Text in a document that contains a hidden link to other text. You can click a mouse on a hypertext word and it will take you to the text designated in the link. Hypertext is used in Windows help programs and CD encyclopedias to jump to related references elsewhere within the same document. The wonderful thing about hypertext, however, is its ability to linkùusing HTTP over the Webùto any Web document in the world, yet still require only a single mouse click to jump clear around the world.
hypertext markup language (HTML): The basic language that is used to build hypertext documents on the World Wide Web. It is used in basic, plain ASCII-text documents, but when those documents are interpreted (called rendering) by a Web browser such as Netscape, the document can display formatted text, color, a variety of fonts, graphic images, special effects, hypertext jumps to other Internet locations, and information forms.

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I/T: Information Technology
IDE: Integrated Development Environment
idiom: [BUS96] defines idiom so:
ôAn idiom is a low-level pattern specific to a programming language. An idiom describes how to implement particular aspects of components or the relationships between them using the features of the given language.ö Also called an implementation pattern. When taking a concrete design expressed in UML, say, and implementing it in Java for example, recurring implementation patterns for that language may be used. Idioms thus span design and implementation.
IE: Internet Explorer (Microsoft)
IEEE: The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
IIOP: Internet Inter-ORB Protocol
IMAP4: Internet Message Access Protocol-Version 4
implementation: A core process workflow in the software-engineering process, whose purpose is to implement and unit test the classes.; A definition of how something is constructed or computed. For example, a class is an implementation of a type, a method is an implementation of an operation.
implementation inheritance: The inheritance of the implementation of a more specific element. Includes inheritance of the interface. Contrast: interface inheritance.
implementation mechanism: An architectural mechanism used during the implementation process. They are refinements of design mechanisms, which specify the exact implementation of the mechanism, and which will also very likely employ several implementation patterns (idioms) in their construction. Again, there is not necessarily any difference in scale between the design mechanism and the implementation mechanism.; For example, one particular implementation of the inter-process communication analysis mechanism is a shared memory design mechanism utilizing a particular operating systemÆs shared memory function calls. Concurrency conflicts (inappropriate simultaneous access to shared memory) may be prevented using semaphores, or using a latching mechanism, which in turn rest upon other implementation mechanisms.
implementation model: The implementation model is a collection of components, and the implementation subsystems that contain them.
implementation pattern: See idiom.
implementation subsystem: A collection of components and other implementation subsystems used to structure the implementation model by dividing it into smaller parts. Note that in the Rational Unified Process, the implementation model and the implementation subsystems are the target of the implementation view and are, therefore, of primary importance at development time. It is the physical analogue of the design package. The name "implementation subsystem" reflects a common usage of the term "subsystem" to indicate something of a larger scale than a component. In UML terms, however, it's a stereotyped package, not a subsystem.
implementation view: An architectural view that describes the organization of the static software elements (code, data, and other accompanying artifacts) in the development environment in terms of both packaging, layering, and configuration management (ownership, release strategy, and so on). In the Unified Process, it's a view on the implementation model.
import: In the context of packages, a dependency that shows the packages whose classes may be referenced within a given package (including packages recursively embedded within it). Contrast: export.
import-dependency: A stereotyped dependency in the design whose source is a design package, and whose target is a different design package. The import dependency causes the public contents of the target package to be referenceable in the source package.
inception: The first phase of the Unified Process, in which the seed idea, request for proposal, for the previous generation is brought to the point of being (at least internally) funded to enter the elaboration phase.
include: A relationship from a base use case to an inclusion use case, specifying how the behavior defined for the inclusion use case can be inserted into the behavior defined for the base use case.
include-relationship: An include-relationship is a relationship from a base use case to an inclusion use case, specifying how the behavior defined for the inclusion use case is explicitly inserted into the behavior defined for the base use case.
increment: The difference (delta) between two releases at the end of subsequent iterations.
incremental: Qualifies an iterative development strategy in which the system is built by adding more and more functionality at each iteration.
inheritance: The mechanism that makes generalization possible; a mechanism for creating full class descriptions out of individual class segments.; The mechanism by which more specific elements incorporate structure and behavior of more general elements related by behavior. See generalization.
input: An artifact used by a process. See static artifact.
inspection: A formal evaluation technique in which some artifact (model, document, software) is examined by a person or group other than the originator, to detect faults, violations of development standards, and other problems.
instance: An individual entity satisfying the description of a class or type.; An entity to which a set of operations can be applied and which has a state that stores the effects of the operations. See object.
integrated development environment, IDE: A software program comprising an editor, a compiler, and a debugger.
integration: The software development activity in which separate software components are combined into an executable whole.
integration build plan: Defines the order in which components are to be implemented and integrated in a specific iteration. Enclosed in the Iteration Plan.
interaction: A specification of how stimuli are sent between instances to perform a specific task. The interaction is defined in the context of a collaboration. See collaboration.
interaction diagram: A generic term that applies to several types of diagrams that emphasize object interactions. These include: collaboration diagrams, sequence diagrams, and activity diagrams.
interface: A collection of operations that are used to specify a service of a class or a component.; A named set of operations that characterize the behavior of an element.
interface inheritance: The inheritance of the interface of a more specific element. Does not include inheritance of the implementation. Contrast: implementation inheritance.
internal transition: A transition signifying a response to an event without changing the state of an object.
Internet: The vast collection of interconnected networks that all use the TCP/IP protocols and that evolved from the ARPANET of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP): An industry standard protocol that defines how General Inter-ORB Protocol (GIOP) messages are exchanged over a TCP/IP network. The IIOP makes it possible to use the Internet itself as a backbone ORB through which other ORBs can bridge.
Internet Protocol (IP): The protocol that provides basic Internet functions.
Internet protocol address: A numeric address that uniquely identifies every computer connected to a network. For example, 123.45.67.8.
intranet: A private network inside a company or organization that uses the same kinds of software that you would find on the public Internet, but that is only for internal use. As the Internet has become more popular, many of the tools used on the Internet are being used in private networks. For example, many companies have Web servers that are available only to employees.
IP: Internet Protocol
IP number: An Internet address that is a unique number consisting of four parts separated by dots, sometimes called a dotted quad (for example, 198.204.112.1). Every Internet computer has an IP number, and most computers also have one or more domain names that are mappings for the dotted quad.
IPSec: IP Security Protocol
IP Security Protocol (IPSec): Provides cryptographic security services at the network layer.
ISAPI: Internet Server API
ISO: The International Organization for Standardization.
ISP: Internet Server Provider
iteration: A distinct sequence of activities with a base-lined plan and valuation criteria resulting in a release (internal or external).
JAR: Java Archive
Java: Java is a new programming language invented by Sun Microsystems that is specifically designed for writing programs that can be safely downloaded to your computer through the Internet and immediately run without fear of viruses or other harm to your computer or files. Using small Java programs called applets, Web pages can include functions such as animations, calculators, and other fancy tricks. We can expect to see a huge variety of features added to the Web using Java, since you can write a Java program to do almost anything a regular computer program can do, and then include that Java program in a Web page.
Java archive (JAR): A platform-independent file format that groups many files into one. JAR files are used for compression, reduced download time, and security. Because the JAR format is written in Java, JAR files are fully extensible.
Java Database Connectivity (JDBC): In JDK 1.1, the specification that defines an API that enables programs to access databases that comply with this standard.
Java Development Kit (JDK): The Java Development Kit 1.1 is the latest set of Java technologies made available to licensed developers by Sun Microsystems. Each release of the JDK contains the following: the Java Compiler, Java Virtual Machine, Java Class Libraries, Java Applet Viewer, Java Debugger, and other tools.
Java Foundation Classes (JFC): Developed by Netscape, Sun, and IBM, JFCs are building blocks that are helpful in developing interfaces to Java applications. They allow Java applications to interact more completely with the existing operating systems.
JavaBean: A JavaBean is a component that can be integrated into an application with other beans that were developed separately. This single application can be used stand-alone, within a browser and also as an ActiveX component. JavaBeans are intended to be local to a single process and they are often visible at runtime. This visual component may be, for example, a button, list box, graphic or chart.
JDBC: Java DataBase Connectivity
JDK: Java Development Kit
JFC: Java Foundation Classes
JIT: Just In Time
JVM: Java Virtual Machine

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key mechanism: A description of how an architectural patterns is realized in terms of patterns of interaction between elements in the system. Presented in the Software Architecture Document
keyword: A predefined word reserved for Java, for example, return, that may not be used as an identifier.

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LAN: Local Area Network
layer: A specific way of grouping packages in a model at the same level of abstraction.; The organization of classifiers or packages at the same level of abstraction. A layer represents a horizontal slice through an architecture, whereas a partition represents a vertical slice. Contrast: partition.
LDAP: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
link: A semantic connection among a tuple of objects. An instance of an association. See association.
link end: An instance of an association end. See association end.
listener: In JDK 1.1, a class that receives and handles events.
Local Area Network (LAN): A computer network located at a userÆs establishment within a limited geographical area. A LAN typically consists of one or more server machines providing services to a number of client workstations.
logical view: An architectural view that describes the main classes in the design of the system: major business-related classes, and the classes that define key behavioral and structural mechanisms (persistency, communications, fault-tolerance, user-interface). In the Unified Process, the logical view is a view of the design model.

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management: A core supporting workflow in the software-engineering process, whose purpose is to plan and manage the development project.
marshal: Synonymous with deserialize.
mechanism: A mechanism is an instance of a pattern. It may require some further refinement to become a collaboration in a particular model. A mechanism is thus a specific solution (to a recurring problem) in a single context. A mechanism can be said to fit or conform to a pattern. Any collaboration could be termed a mechanism, but the term is usually reserved for collaborations which deliver a solution to a commonly recurring problem in software applications, for example, to handle persistence, to which a pattern is applicable. In analysis and design, the notion of a mechanism can be used as a æplaceholderÆùhaving identified that persistence is needed for example, the analyst and designer can say that a persistence mechanism will be used, which will force that problem to be addressed systematically and consistently.
message: A specification of the conveyance of information from one instance to another, with the expectation that activity will ensue. A message may specify the raising of a signal or the call of an operation.
messaging: A communication model whereby the distributed applications communicate by sending messages to each other. A message is typically a short packet of information that does not necessarily require a reply. Messaging implements asynchronous communications method. A fragment of Java code within a class that can be invoked and passed a set of parameters to perform a specific task.
metaclass: A class whose instances are classes. Metaclasses are typically used to construct metamodels.
meta-metamodel: A model that defines the language for expressing a metamodel. The relationship between a meta-metamodel and a metamodel is analogous to the relationship between a metamodel and a model.
metamodel: A model that defines the language for expressing a model.
metaobject: A generic term for all metaentities in a metamodeling language. For example, metatypes, metaclasses, metaattributes, and meta-associations.
method: (1) A regular and systematic way of accomplishing something; the detailed, logically ordered plans or procedures followed to accomplish a task or attain a goal. (2) UML 1.1: The implementation of an operation, the algorithm or procedure that effects the results of an operation.; The implementation of an operation. It specifies the algorithm or procedure associated with an operation
method call: Synonymous with message.
MIB: Management Information Base
milestone: The point at which an iteration formally ends; corresponds to a release point.
MIME: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension
model [MOF]: A semantically closed abstraction of a system. In the Unified Process, a complete description of a system from a particular perspective ('complete' meaning you don't need any additional information to understand the system from that perspective); a set of model elements. Two models cannot overlap.; A semantically closed abstraction of a subject system. See system.; Usage note: In the context of the MOF specification, which describes a meta-metamodel, for brevity the meta-metamodel is frequently referred to as simply the model.
model aspect: A dimension of modeling that emphasizes particular qualities of the metamodel. For example, the structural model aspect emphasizes the structural qualities of the metamodel.
model elaboration: The process of generating a repository type from a published model. Includes the generation of interfaces and implementations which allows repositories to be instantiated and populated based on, and in compliance with, the model elaborated.
model element [MOF]: An element that is an abstraction drawn from the system being modeled. Contrast: view element.; In the MOF specification model elements are considered to be metaobjects.
Model View Controller (MVC): An application architecture which separates the components of the application: the model represents the business logic or data; the view represents the user interface and the controller manages user input or, in some cases, the application flow.
modeling conventions: How concepts will be represented, restrictions on the modeling language that the project team management has decided upon; that is, dictums such as "Do not use inheritance between subsystems."; "Do not use extend or include associations in the Use Case Model."; "Do not use the friend construct in C++.". Presented in the Software Architecture Document.
modeling time: Refers to something that occurs during a modeling phase of the software development process. It includes analysis time and design time. Usage note: When discussing object systems, it is often important to distinguish between modeling-time and run-time concerns. See analysis time, design time. Contrast: run time.
module: A software unit of storage and manipulation. Modules include source code modules, binary code modules, and executable code modules. See component.
MOM: Message-Oriented Middleware
multiple classification: A semantic variation of generalization in which an object may belong directly to more than one class. See dynamic classification.
multiple inheritance: A semantic variation of generalization in which a type may have more than one supertype. Contrast: single inheritance.
multiplicity: A specification of the range of allowable cardinalities that a set may assume. Multiplicity specifications may be given for roles within associations, parts within composites, repetitions, and other purposes. Essentially a multiplicity is a (possibly infinite) subset of the non-negative integers. Contrast: cardinality.
Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (MIME): The Internet standard for mail that supports text, images, audio, and video.
multi-valued [MOF]: A model element with multiplicity defined whose Multiplicity Type:: upper attribute is set to a number greater than one. The term multi-valued does not pertain to the number of values held by an attribute, parameter, and so on at any point in time. Contrast: single-valued.
mutator methods: Methods that an object provides to define the interface to its instance variables. The accessor method to return the value of an instance variable is called a get method or getter method, and the mutator method to assign a value to an instance variable is called a set method or setter method.
MVC: Model View Controller
MVS: Multiple Virtual Storage

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n-ary association: An association among three or more classes. Each instance of the association is an n-tuple of values from the respective classes. Contrast: binary association.
name: A string used to identify a model element.
namespace: A part of the model in which the names may be defined and used. Within a namespace, each name has a unique meaning. See name.
NC: Network Computer or Network Computing
NCF: Network Computing Framework
NNTP: Network News Transfer Protocol
node: A node is classifier that represents a run-time computational resource, which generally has at least a memory and often processing capability. Run-time objects and components may reside on nodes.
NSAPI: Netscape Server API
NT: Windows NT (New Technology)

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object: An entity with a well-defined boundary and identity that encapsulates state and behavior. State is represented by attributes and relationships, behavior is represented by operations, methods, and state machines. An object is an instance of a class. See class, instance.
object class: A template for defining the attributes and methods of an object. An object class can contain other object classes. An individual representation of an object class is called an object.
object diagram: A diagram that encompasses objects and their relationships at a point in time. An object diagram may be considered a special case of a class diagram or a collaboration diagram. See class diagram, collaboration diagram.
object flow state: A state in an activity graph that represents the passing of an object from the output of actions in one state to the input of actions in another state.
object lifeline: A line in a sequence diagram that represents the existence of an object over a period of time. See sequence diagram.
object model: An abstraction of a system's implementation.
Object Request Broker (ORB): A CORBA term designating the means by which objects transparently make requests and receive responses from objects, whether they are local or remote.
object-oriented programming (OOP): A programming approach based on the concepts of data abstraction and inheritance. Unlike procedural programming techniques, object-oriented programming concentrates on those data objects that constitute the problem and how they are manipulated, not on how something is accomplished.
ODBC: Open DataBase Connectivity
ODBC Driver: An ODBC driver is a dynamically linked library (DLL) that implements ODBC function calls and interacts with a data source.
ODBC Driver Manager: The ODBC driver manager, provided by Microsoft, is a DLL with an import library. The primary purpose of the Driver Manager is to load ODBC drivers. The Driver Manager also provides entry points to ODBC functions for each driver and parameter validation and sequence validation for ODBC calls.
OLTP: OnLine Transaction Processing
OMG: Object Management Group
online transaction processing (OLTP): A style of computing that supports interactive applications in which requests submitted by terminal users are processed as soon as they are received. Results are returned to the requester in a relatively short period of time. An online transaction-processing system supervises the sharing of resources to allow efficient processing of multiple transactions at the same time.
OO: Object Oriented
OOP: Object-Oriented Programming
Open DataBase Connectivity (ODBC): A Microsoft-developed C database application programming interface (API) that allows access to database management systems calling callable SQL, which does not require the use of a SQL preprocessor. In addition, ODBC provides an architecture that allows users to add modules called database drivers that link the application to their choice of database management systems at run time. This means applications no longer need to be directly linked to the modules of all the database management systems that are supported.
operation: A service that can be requested from an object to effect behavior. An operation has a signature, which may restrict the actual parameters that are possible.
operating system process: An unique address space and execution environment in which instances of classes and subsystems reside and run. The execution environment may be divided into one or more threads of control. See also process and thread.
ORB: Object Request Broker
organization unit: A collection of business workers, business entities, relationships, business use-case realizations, diagrams, and other organization units. It is used to structure the business object model by dividing it into smaller parts.
originator: An originator is anyone who submits a change request (CR). The standard change request mechanism requires the originator to provide information on the current problem, and a proposed solution in accordance with the change request form.
output: Any artifact that is the result of a process step. See deliverable.
outside link: In a Web site, a link to a URL that is located outside the current Web site.

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package: A general purpose mechanism for organizing elements into groups. Packages may be nested within other packages.
palette: See beans palette.
parameter: The specification of a variable that can be changed, passed, or returned. A parameter may include a name, type, and direction. Parameters are used for operations, messages, and events. Synonyms: formal parameter. Contrast: argument.
parameter connection: A connection that satisfies a parameter of an action or method by supplying either a propertyÆs value or the return value of an action, method, or script. The parameter is always the source of the connection. See also connection.
parameterized element: The descriptor for a class with one or more unbound parameters. Synonym: template.
parent: In a generalization relationship, the generalization of another element, the child. See subclass, subtype. Contrast: child.
parent class: The class from which another bean or class inherits data, methods, or both.
participates: The connection of a model element to a relationship or to a reified relationship. For example, a class participates in an association, an actor participates in a use case.
partition: (1) activity graphs: A portion of an activity graphs that organizes the responsibilities for actions. See swimlane. (2) architecture: A subset of classifiers or packages at the same level of abstraction. A partition represents a vertical slice through an architecture, whereas a layer represents a horizontal slice. Contrast: layer.
pattern: In software, a solution template (for structure, behavior) that has proven useful in at least one practical context, or, more likely, in several contexts, to be worthy of being called a pattern. In UML, a parameterized collaboration is used to represent a pattern although UML does not directly model other aspects of patterns such as lists of consequences of use, examples of use, and so onùtext can be used for these. A pattern is instantiated by binding values to its parameters. Patterns can exist at various scales and levels of abstraction, for example, as Architectural Patterns, Analysis Patterns, Design Patterns and Idioms or Implementation Patterns.
PDR: Preliminary Design Review
PERL: Practical Extraction & Reporting Language
persistent object: An object that exists after the process or thread that created it has ceased to exist.
PGP: Pretty Good Privacy
phase: The time between two major project milestones, during which a well-defined set of objectives is met, artifacts are completed, and decisions are made to move or not move into the next phase.
PKI: Public Key Infrastructure
POP3: Post Office Protocol 3
Port: A TCP/IP terminology, a port is a separately addressable point to which an application can connect. For example, by default HTTP uses port 80 and Secure HTTP (HTTPS) uses port 443.
post-condition: A textual description defining a constraint on the system when a use case has terminated.; A constraint that must be true at the completion of an operation.
PRA: Project Review Authority
PRD: Product Requirements Document
pre-condition: A textual description defining a constraint on the system when a use case may start.; A constraint that must be true when an operation is invoked.
preliminary design review (PDR): In the waterfall life cycle, the major review held when the architectural design is completed. See Guidelines: Software Development Plan#Aligning the Traditional Waterfall Review Sequence with the Iterative Approach.
primitive type: A pre-defined basic datatype without any substructure, such as an integer or a string.
private: An access modifier associated with a class member. It allows only the class itself to access the member.
process: (1) A thread of control that can logically execute concurrently with other processes, specifically an operating system process. See also thread. (2) A set of partially ordered steps intended to reach a goal; in software engineering the goal is to build a software product or to enhance an existing one; in process engineering, the goal is to develop or enhance a process model; corresponds to a business use case in business engineering.; (1) A heavyweight unit of concurrency and execution in an operating system. Contrast: thread, which includes heavyweight and lightweight processes. If necessary, an implementation distinction can be made using stereotypes. (2) A software development processùthe steps and guidelines by which to develop a system. (3) To execute an algorithm or otherwise handle something dynamically.
process view: An architectural view that describes the concurrent aspect of the system: tasks (processes) and their interactions.
processor: A type of node which possesses the capability to run one or more processes. Generally this requires a computational capability, memory, input-output devices, and so on. See also node, process, and device.
product: Software that is the result of development, and some of the associated artifacts (documentation, release medium, training).
product champion: A high-ranking individual who owns the vision of the product and acts as an advocate between development and the customer.
product-line architecture: Defines element types, how they interact, and how the product functionality is mapped to them. It may also go further by defining some of the instances of the architecture elements. This term generally applies to a set of products within an organization or company. [HOF98]
product requirements document (PRD): A high level description of the product (system), its intended use, and the set of features it provides.
project: Projects are performed by people, constrained by limited resources, and planned, executed, and controlled. A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a definite ending. Unique means that the product or service is different in some distinguishing way from all similar products and services. Projects are often critical components of the performing organizations' business strategy.
project manager: The worker with overall responsibility for the project. The Project Manager needs to ensure tasks are scheduled, allocated and completed in accordance with project schedules, budgets and quality requirements.
Project Review Authority (PRA): The organizational entity to which the Project Manager reports. The PRA is responsible for ensuring that a software project complies with policies, practices and standards. See Concepts: Organizational Context for the Rational Unified Process.
projection: A mapping from a set to a subset of it.
promotion: Within a JavaBean, to make features of a contained bean available to be used for making connections. For example, a bean consisting of three push buttons on a panel. If this bean is placed in a frame, the features of the push buttons would have to be promoted to make them available from within the frame.
property: A named value denoting a characteristic of an element. A property has semantic impact. Certain properties are predefined in the UML; others may be user defined. See tagged value.
property-to-property connection: A connection from a property of one object to a property of another object. See also connection.
protected: An access modifier associated with a class member. It allows the class itself, sub-classes, and all classes in the same package to access the member.
protocol: A specification of a compatible set of messages used to communicate between capsules. The protocol defines a set of incoming and outgoing messages types (for example, operations, signals), and optionally a set of sequence diagrams which define the required ordering of messages and a state machine which specifies the abstract behavior that the participants in a protocol must provide.
Protocol (TCP/IP): The basic programming foundation that carries computer messages around the globe via the Internet. The suite of protocols that defines the Internet. Originally designed for the UNIX operating system, TCP/IP software is now available for every major kind of computer operating system. To be truly on the Internet, your computer must have TCP/IP software.
prototype: A release that is not necessarily subject to change management and configuration control.
proxy: An application gateway from one network to another for a specific network application such as Telnet of FTP, for example, where a firewallÆs proxy Telnet server performs authentication of the user and then lets the traffic flow through the proxy as if it were not there. Function is performed in the firewall and not in the client workstation, causing more load in the firewall. Compare with socks.
pseudo-state: A vertex in a state machine that has the form of a state, but doesnÆt behave as a state. Pseudo-states include initial and history vertices.
published model [MOF]: A model which has been frozen, and becomes available for instantiating repositories and for the support in defining other models. A frozen modelÆs model elements cannot be changed.

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QA: Quality Assurance
qualifier: An association attribute or tuple of attributes whose values partition the set of objects related to an object across an association.
quality assurance (QA): The function of Quality Assurance is the responsibility of (reports to) the Project Manager and is responsible for ensuring that project standards are correctly and verifiably followed by all project staff.

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race condition: A condition which occurs when two or more independent tasks may simultaneously access and modify the same state information. This condition can lead to inconsistent behavior of the system and is a fundamental issue in concurrent system design.
rank: An attribute of a use case or scenario that describes its impact on the architecture, or its importance for a release.
rationale: A statement, or explanation of the reasons for a choice.
RDBMS: Relational DataBase Management System.
receive [a message]: The handling of a stimulus passed from a sender instance. See sender, receiver.
receiver [object]: The object handling a stimulus passed from a sender object. Contrast: sender.
reception: A declaration that a classifier is prepared to react to the receipt of a signal.
reference: (1) A denotation of a model element. (2) A named slot within a classifier that facilitates navigation to other classifiers. Synonym: pointer.
refinement: A relationship that represents a fuller specification of something that has already been specified at a certain level of detail. For example, a design class is a refinement of an analysis class.
relationship: A semantic connection among model elements. Examples of relationships include associations and generalizations.
release: A subset of the end-product that is the object of evaluation at a major milestone. A release is a stable, executable version of product, together with any artifacts necessary to use this release, such as release notes or installation instructions. A release can be internal or external. An internal release is used only by the development organization, as part of a milestone, or for a demonstration to users or customers. An external release (or delivery) is delivered to end users. A release is not necessarily a complete product, but can just be one step along the way, with its usefulness measured only from an engineering perspective. Releases act as a forcing function that drives the development team to get closure at regular intervals, avoiding the "90% done, 90% remaining" syndrome. See also prototype, baseline.
release manager: A release manager is responsible for ensuring that all software assets are controlled and configurable into internal and external releases as required.
Remote Method Invocation (RMI): In JDK 1.1, the API that allows you to write distributed Java programs, allowing methods of remote Java objects to be accessed from other Java virtual machines.
Remote Procedure Call (RPC): A communication model where requests are made by function calls to distributed procedure elsewhere. The location of the procedures is transparent to the calling application.
report: An automatically generated description, describing one or several artifacts. A report is not an artifact in itself. A report is in most cases a transitory product of the development process, and a vehicle to communicate certain aspects of the evolving system; it is a snapshot description of artifacts that are not documents themselves.
repository: A storage place for object models, interfaces, and implementations.
requirement: A requirement describes a condition or capability to which a system must conform; either derived directly from user needs, or stated in a contract, standard, specification, or other formally imposed document. See Concept: Requirements; A desired feature, property, or behavior of a system.
requirement attribute: Information associated with a particular requirement providing a link between the requirement and other project elementsùfor example, priorities, schedules, status, design elements, resources, costs, hazards.
requirements: A core process workflow in the software-engineering process, whose purpose is to define what the system should do. The most significant activities are to develop a vision, a use-case model, and software requirements specifications.
requirements management: A systematic approach to eliciting, organizing and documenting the requirements of the system, and establishing and maintaining agreement between the customer and the project team on the changing requirements of the system. See Concept: Requirements Management.
requirements tracing: The linking of a requirement to other requirements and to other associated project elements.
requirement type: A categorization of requirementsùfor example, stakeholder need, feature, use case, supplementary requirement, test requirement, documentation requirement, hardware requirement, software requirement, and so onùbased on common characteristics and attributes. See Concept: Types of Requirements.
resource file: A file that is referred to from your Java program. Examples include graphics and audio files.
responsibility: A contract or obligation of a classifier.
result: Synonym of output. See also deliverable.
resurrect: Synonymous with deserialize.
review: A review is a group activity carried out to discover potential defects and to assess the quality of a set of artifacts.
reuse: Further use or repeated use of an artifact; The use of a pre-existing artifact.
RFC: Request For Comment. Internet Standards are defined in documents known as RFCs.
RMI: Remote Method Invocation
RMI compiler: The compiler that generates stub and skeleton files that facilitate RMI communication. This compiler can be automatically invoked from the Tools menu item.
RMI registry: A server program that allows remote clients to get a reference to a server bean.
risk: An ongoing or upcoming concern that has a significant probability of adversely affecting the success of major milestones.
role: The behavior of a design element participating in a particular context; for example, use-case realization. See also analysis class.; The named specific behavior of an entity participating in a particular context. A role may be static (for example, an association end) or dynamic (for example, a collaboration role).
RPC: Remote Procedure Call
RSA: Rivest-Shamir-Adleman algorithm.
run time: The period of time during which a computer program executes. Contrast: modeling time.

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S/MIME: Secure MIME
sandbox: A restricted environment, provided by the Web browser, in which Java applets run. The sandbox offers them services and prevents them from doing anything naughty, such as doing file I/O or talking to strangers (servers other than the one from which the applet was loaded). The analogy of applets to children led to calling the environment in which they run the sandbox.
SAP: Originally "Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung" and now named Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing
scenario: A described use-case instance, a subset of a use case.; A specific sequence of actions that illustrates behaviors. A scenario may be used to illustrate an interaction or the execution of a use case instance. See interaction.
schema [MOF]: In the context of the MOF, a schema is analogous to a package which is a container of model elements. Schema corresponds to an MOF package. Contrast: metamodel, package corresponds to an MOF package.
scope management: The process of prioritizing and determining the set of requirements that can be implemented in a particular release cycle, based on the resources and time available. This process continues throughout the lifecycle of the project as changes occur. See also change management.
semantic variation point: A point of variation in the semantics of a metamodel. It provides an intentional degree of freedom for the interpretation of the metamodel semantics.
send [a message]: The passing of a stimulus from a sender instance to a receiver instance. See sender, receiver.
sender [object]: The object passing a stimulus to a receiver object. Contrast: receiver.
SEPA: Software Engineering Process Authority
sequence diagram: A diagram that shows object interactions arranged in time sequence. In particular, it shows the objects participating in the interaction and the sequence of messages exchanged. Unlike a collaboration diagram, a sequence diagram includes time sequences but does not include object relationships. A sequence diagram can exist in a generic form (describes all possible scenarios) and in an instance form (describes one actual scenario). Sequence diagrams and collaboration diagrams express similar information, but show it in different ways. See collaboration diagram.
serialize: Synonymous with de-marshal.
server: A computer that provides services to multiple users or workstations in a network; for example, a file server, a print server, or a mail server.
Servlets: Servlets are Java objects which execute on the server in response to a browser request. They can either generate HTML or XML directly, or call a JSP to produce the output.
SET: Secure Electronic Transaction
SHTTP: Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol
signal: The specification of an asynchronous stimulus communicated between instances. Signals may have parameters.
signature: The name and parameters of a behavioral feature. A signature may include an optional returned parameter.
single inheritance: A semantic variation of generalization in which a type may have only one supertype. Contrast: multiple inheritance.
single valued [MOF]: A model element with multiplicity defined is single valued when its Multiplicity Type:: upper attribute is set to one. The term single-valued does not pertain to the number of values held by an attribute, parameter, and so on, at any point in time, since a single-valued attribute (for instance, with a multiplicity lower bound of zero) may have no value. Contrast: multi-valued.
single-byte character set: A set of characters in which each character is represented by a 1-byte code.
SMTP: Simple Mail Transport Protocol
SNMP: Simple Network Management Protocol
Socket Secure (SOCKS): The gateway that allows compliant client code (client code made socket secure) to establish a session with a remote host.
SOCKS: SOCKet Secure
software architecture: Software architecture encompasses:; Software architecture is not only concerned with structure and behavior, but also with usage, functionality, performance, resilience, reuse, comprehensibility, economic and technology constraints and tradeoffs, and aesthetic concerns.
Software Engineering Process Authority (SEPA): The organizational entity with responsibility for process definition, assessment and improvement. See Concepts: Organizational Context for the Rational Unified Process.
software requirement: A specification of an externally observable behavior of the system; for example, inputs to the system, outputs from the system, functions of the system, attributes of the system, or attributes of the system environment.
software requirements specifications (SRS): A set of requirements which completely defines the external behavior of the system to be builtùsometimes called a functional specification.
software specification review (SSR): In the waterfall life cycle, the major review held when the software requirements specification is complete. See Guidelines: Software Development Plan#Aligning the Traditional Waterfall Review Sequence with the Iterative Approach.
specification: A declarative description of what something is or does. Contrast: implementation.
SQL: Structured Query Language
SRR: System Requirements Review
SRS: Software Requirements Specifications
SSL: Secure Sockets Layer
SSR: Software Specification Review
stakeholder: An individual who is materially affected by the outcome of the system.
stakeholder need: The business or operational problem (opportunity) that must be fulfilled in order to justify purchase or use.
stakeholder request: A request of any typeùfor example, Change Request, enhancement request, request for a requirement change, defectùfrom a stakeholder.
Start page: The first page a user sees when browsing a Web site, also known as the home page.
state: A condition or situation during the life of an object during which it satisfies some condition, performs some activity, or waits for some event.
statechart diagram: A diagram that shows a state machine. See state machine.
state machine: A state machine specifies the behavior of a model element, defining its response to events and the life cycle of the object.; A behavior that specifies the sequences of states that an object or an interaction goes through during its life in response to events, together with its responses and actions.
static artifact: An artifact that is used, but not changed, by a process.
static classification: A semantic variation of generalization in which an object may not change type or may not change role. Contrast: dynamic classification.
static information: Web files that do not change on every access.
stereotype: A meta-classification of an element. Stereotypes have semantic implications which can be specified for every specific stereotype value. See Stereotypes Reference for information on the pre-defined stereotypes in use in the Rational Unified Process.; A new type of modeling element that extends the semantics of the metamodel. Stereotypes must be based on certain existing types or classes in the metamodel. Stereotypes may extend the semantics, but not the structure of pre-existing types and classes. Certain stereotypes are predefined in the UML, others may be user defined.
stimulus: The passing of information from one instance to another, such as raising a signal or invoking an operation. The receipt of a signal is normally considered an event. See message.
string: A sequence of text characters. The details of string representation depend on implementation, and may include character sets that support international characters and graphics.
structural feature: A static feature of a model element, such as an attribute.
structural model aspect: A model aspect that emphasizes the structure of the objects in a system, including their types, classes, relationships, attributes, and operations.
stub: A component containing functionality for testing purposes. A stub is either a pure "dummy", just returning some predefined values, or it is "simulating" a more complex behavior.
subactivity state: A state in an activity graph that represents the execution of a non-atomic sequence of steps that has some duration.
subclass: In a generalization relationship, the specialization of another class; the superclass. See generalization. Contrast: superclass.
submachine state: A state in a state machine which is equivalent to a composite state but its contents are described by another state machine.
substate: A state that is part of a composite state. See concurrent substate, disjoint substate.
subsystem: A model element which has the semantics of a package, such that it can contain other model elements, and a class, such that it has behavior. The behavior of the subsystem is provided by classes or other subsystems it contains. A subsystem realizes one or more interfaces, which define the behavior it can perform.; A subsystem is a grouping of model elements, of which some constitute a specification of the behavior offered by the other contained model elements. See package. See also system.
subtype: In a generalization relationship, the specialization of another type; the supertype. See generalization. Contrast: supertype.
superclass: In a generalization relationship, the generalization of another class; the subclass. See generalization. Contrast: subclass.
supertype: In a generalization relationship, the generalization of another type; the subtype. See generalization. Contrast: subtype.
supplier: A classifier that provides services that can be invoked by others. Contrast: client.
swimlane: A partition on a activity diagram for organizing the responsibilities for actions. Swimlanes typically correspond to organizational units in a business model. See partition.
synch state: A vertex in a state machine used for synchronizing the concurrent regions of a state machine.
synchronous action: A request where the sending object pauses to wait for results. Contrast: asynchronous action.
system: (1) A collection of connected units that are organized to accomplish a specific purpose. A system can be described by one or more models, possibly from different viewpoints. Synonym: physical system. (2) A top-level subsystem.
system requirements review (SRR): In the waterfall life cycle, the name of the major review held when the system specification is completed. See Guidelines: Software Development Plan.
Systems, Applications, and Products (SAP): Originally "Systemanalyse und Programmentwicklung" and now named Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing, SAP supplies widely-used software for integrated business solutions.

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tagged value: The explicit definition of a property as a name-value pair. In a tagged value, the name is referred as the tag. Certain tags are predefined in the UML; others may be user defined. Tagged values are one of three extensibility mechanisms in UML. See constraint, stereotype.
target (for test): A build that is an object for testing. See build.
task: See operating system process, process and thread.
TCP: Transmission Control Protocol
TCP/IP: Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
team leader: The team leader is the interface between project management and developers. The team leader is responsible for ensuring that a task is allocated and monitored to completion. The team leader is responsible for ensuring that development staff follow project standards, and adhere to project schedules.
technical authority: The project's technical authority has the authority and technical expertise to arbitrate on if, and how, a change request is to be implemented. The technical authority defines change tasks, and estimates the effort of engineering the work tasks, corresponding to a change request.
Telnet: U.S. Deptartment of Defense virtual terminal protocol.
template: A pre-defined structure for an artifact. Synonym: parameterized element.
test: A core process workflow in the software-engineering process whose purpose is to integrate and test the system.
test case: A set of test inputs, execution conditions, and expected results developed for a particular objective, such as to exercise a particular program path or to verify compliance with a specific requirement.
test coverage: The degree to which a given test or set of tests addresses all specified test cases for a given system or component.
test driver: A software module or application used to invoke a test item and, often, provide test inputs (data), control and monitor execution, and report test results. A test driver automates the execution of test procedures.
test item: A build which is an object of testing. See build.
test procedure: A test procedure is a set of detailed instructions for the set-up, execution, and evaluation of results for a given test case.
thin client: Thin client usually refers to a system that runs on a resource-constrained machine or that runs a small operating system. Thin clients don't require local system administration, and they execute Java applications delivered over the network
thread: An independent computation executing within an the execution environment and address space defined by an enclosing operating system process. Also sometimes called a "lightweight process".
thread [of control]: A single path of execution through a program, a dynamic model, or some other representation of control flow. Also, a stereotype for the implementation of an active object as lightweight process. See process.
time: A value representing an absolute or relative moment in time.
time event: An event that denotes the time elapsed since the current state was entered. See event.
time expression: An expression that resolves to an absolute or relative value of time.
timing mark: A denotation for the time at which an event or message occurs. Timing marks may be used in constraints.
tool mentor: A description which provides practical guidance on how to perform specific process activities or steps using a specific software tool.
traceability: The ability to trace a project element to other related project elements, especially those related to requirements.
trace: A dependency that indicates a historical or process relationship between two elements that represent the same concept without specific rules for deriving one from the other.
transaction: A unit of processing consisting of one or more application programs initiated by a single request. A transaction can require the initiation of one or more tasks for its execution.
transaction processing: A style of computing that supports interactive applications in which requests submitted by users are processed as soon as they are received. Results are returned to the requester in a relatively short period of time. A transaction processing system supervises the sharing of resources for processing multiple transactions at the same time.
transient object: An object that exists only during the execution of the process or thread that created it.
transition: The fourth phase of the process in which the software is turned over to the user community.; A relationship between two states indicating that an object in the first state will perform certain specified actions and enter the second state when a specified event occurs and specified conditions are satisfied. On such a change of state, the transition is said to fire.
type: Description of a set of entities which share common characteristics, relations, attributes, and semantics.; A stereotype of class that is used to specify a domain of instances (objects) together with the operations applicable to the objects. A type may not contain any methods. See class, instance. Contrast: interface.
type expression: An expression that evaluates to a reference to one or more types.

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UI: User Interface
UML: Unified Modeling Language
Unicode: A character coding system designed to support the interchange, processing, and display of the written texts of the diverse languages of the modern world. Unicode characters are typically encoded using 16-bit integral unsigned numbers.
Unified Modeling Language (UML): Unified Modeling Language [UML99]. In the Rational Unified Process Glossary, definitions from the Unified Modeling Language are indicated by the symbol:
uniform resource locator (URL): A standard identifier for a resource on the World Wide Web, used by Web browsers to initiate a connection. The URL includes the communications protocol to use, the name of the server, and path information identifying the objects to be retrieved on the server.
uninterpreted: A placeholder for a type or types whose implementation is not specified by the UML. Every unnterpreted value has a corresponding string representation. See any [CORBA].
URL: Uniform Resource Locator
usage: A dependency in which one element (the client) requires the presence of another element (the supplier) for its correct functioning or implementation.
use case (class): A use case defines a set of use-case instances, where each instance is a sequence of actions a system performs that yields an observable result of value to a particular actor. A use-case class contains all main, alternate flows of events related to producing the "observable result of value". Technically, a use-case is a class whose instances are scenarios.; The specification of a sequence of actions, including variants, that a system (or other entity) can perform, interacting with actors of the system. See use-case instances.
use-case diagram: A diagram that shows the relationships among actors and use cases within a system.
use-case instance: A sequence of actions performed by a system that yields an observable result of value to a particular actor.; The performance of a sequence of actions being specified in a use case. An instance of a use case.
use-case model: A model that describes a systemÆs functional requirements in terms of use cases.
use-case package: A use-case package is a collection of use cases, actors, relationships, diagrams, and other packages; it is used to structure the use-case model by dividing it into smaller parts.
use-case realization: A use-case realization describes how a particular use case is realized within the design model, in terms of collaborating objects.
use-case view: An architectural view that describes how critical use cases are performed in the system, focusing mostly on architecturally significant components (objects, tasks, nodes). In the Unified Process, it is a view of the use-case model.
user interface (UI): (1) The hardware, or software, or both that enables a user to interact with a computer. (2) The term user interface typically refers to the visual presentation and its underlying software with which a user interacts.
utility: A stereotype that groups global variables and procedures in the form of a class declaration. The utility attributes and operations become global variables and global procedures, respectively. A utility is not a fundamental modeling construct, but a programming convenience.

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value: An element of a type domain.
variable: (1) A storage place within an object for a data feature. The data feature is an object, such as number or date, stored as an attribute of the containing object. (2) A bean that receives an identity at run time. A variable by itself contains no data or program logic; it must be connected such that it receives run-time identity from a bean elsewhere in the application.
VB: Visual Basic
version: A variant of some artifact; later versions of an artifact typically expand on earlier versions.
vertex: A source or a target for a transition in a state machine. A vertex can be either a state or a pseudo-state. See state, pseudo-state.
view: A simplified description (an abstraction) of a model, which is seen from a given perspective or vantage point and omits entities that are not relevant to this perspective. See also architectural view.; A projection of a model, which is seen from a given perspective or vantage point and omits entities that are not relevant to this perspective.
view element: A view element is a textual and/or graphical projection of a collection of model elements.
view projection: A projection of model elements onto view elements. A view projection provides a location and a style for each view element.
virtual machine (VM): A software program that executes other computer programs. It allows a physical machine, a computer, to behave as if it were another physical machine.
visibility: An enumeration whose value (public, protected, or private) denotes how the model element to which it refers may be seen outside its enclosing namespace.
vision: The user's or customer's view of the product to be developed, specified at the level of key stakeholder needs and features of the system.
visual programming tool: A tool that provides a means for specifying programs graphically. Application programmers write applications by manipulating graphical representations of components.
VM: Virtual Machine
VPN: Virtual Private Network

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V[W X Y Z]

web application: A system that uses the internet as the primary means of communication between the system users and the system. See also web system.
web browser: A piece of software that runs on a client which allows a user to request and render HTML pages.
web server: The server component of the World Wide Web. It is responsible for servicing requests for information from Web browsers. The information can be a file retrieved from the server's local disk or generated by a program called by the server to perform a specific application function.
web site: A web system that is all on one server. Users navigate the web site with a browser.
web system: A hyper media system that contains pages of information that are linked to each other in the form of a graph, as opposed to being hierarchical or linear. A web system can manifest itself as a web server that can be accessed through a browser.
Widget: In this context, a generic term for something that can be put on a window such as a button, scrollbar, label, listbox, menu or checkbox.
work breakdown structure: The planning framework; a project decomposition into units of work from which cost, artifacts, and activities can be allocated and tracked.
work guideline: A description which provides practical guidance on how to perform an activity or set of activities. It usually considers techniques which are useful during the activity.
worker: A definition of the behavior and responsibilities of an individual, or a set of individuals working together as a team, within the context of a software engineering organization. The worker represents a role played by individuals on a project, and defines how they carry out work.
workflow: The sequence of activities performed in a business that produces a result of observable value to an individual actor of the business.
workflow detail: A grouping of activities which are performed in close collaboration to accomplish some result. The activities are typically performed either in parallel or iteratively, with the output from one activity serving as the input to another activity. Workflow details are used to group activities to provide a higher level of abstraction and to improve the comprehensibility of workflows.
workspace: The work area that contains all the code you are currently working on; that is, current editions. The workspace also contains the standard Java class libraries and other class libraries.
workstation: A configuration of input/output equipment at which an operator works. A terminal or microcomputer, usually one that is connected to a mainframe or a network, at which a user can perform applications.
World Wide Web (WWW or web): A graphic hypertextual multimedia Internet service.
WYSIWYG: What You See Is What You Get
XML: eXtensible Markup Language

Rational Unified Process