Interfaces, ICDs and N² Diagrams

The Interface Register, Interface Control Diagrams, N²N-squared A square chart with elements on the diagonal and what passes between them in the off-diagonal cells. Used to find and check interfaces. diagrams and the Physical I/O Diagram work on the model's connections, interfaces and items, as in LMLLifecycle Modeling Language An open modeling language with a small set of classes and relationships that covers a system's whole lifecycle. Holarch models are LML models. projects.

What counts as an interface

• Every connect and interface usage. Its ends are the parts that own the connected ports (tank.fuelOut: the tank).
• It conveys the items of the flows between the same parts (flow of Fuel from tank.fuelOut to engine.fuelIn;) and the directed features of the source port's definition: out features go from the source end, in features toward it. A conjugated port (~FuelPort) reverses them.
• Interface Status, Owner, TBDTo Be Determined A requirement value or detail that is not known yet. Holarch tracks TBDs with an owner and a due date./TBRTo Be Reviewed A requirement value that is filled in but still needs to be confirmed., Capacity, Units, Latency and the other interface attributes are stored next to the model; they are not SysML text. Requirements link with a dependency (traced from) or a satisfy.

Pages and diagrams

• Interface Register: every interface with its ends, status, owner, items, requirements and capacity check; filter by status, export CSV, export an ICDInterface Control Document The agreed definition of an interface between two systems: what crosses it, how, and who owns it. Holarch also has an Interface Control Diagram. document per interface.
• ICDs: an interface between its two end parts. A part usage shows its definition's parts. Drop an item definition on the interface to add a flow of that item. The end parts are the interface's ends: change them in the Editor.
• N² Diagrams: N² Diagram (Parts) puts the parts a part owns on the diagonal and their connections in the cells; drag from one part toward another to add a connection. N² Diagram (Actions) puts the actions an action owns on the diagonal and the items they pass in the cells, from their in and out item parameters and flows.
• Physical I/O Diagram (+ New Diagram): the parts with the item lines from the actions they perform (also through redefining parts) and the connections between them, with the same warnings as in LML projects. Drag from one part to another to add a connection.
• Selecting an element shows the SysML v2 inspector with the interface section and the attributes stored next to the model. Every change is one undo step.