A component instance is an instance of a component that can run or execute on a node. Whenever a component is processed into a node, a component instance is created. The component instance plays an important role because it contains the parameter for deployment into a server.
A component instance can be created in the following diagrams:
The component instance symbol is the same as the component symbol in the component diagram.
The component instance relationship with the node is similar to a composition; it is a strong relationship, whereas the file object relationship with the node is different because several nodes can use the same file object according to deployment needs.
Drag and Drop a Component in a Deployment Diagram
You can drag a component from the Browser and drop it into a deployment diagram to automatically create a component instance linked to the component.
The component instance that inherits from the component automatically inherits its type: the type of the component is displayed in the property sheet of the component instance.
Deploy Component to Node from the Component Diagram
You can create a component instance from a component. To do this, use the Deploy Component to Node feature. This feature is available from the contextual menu of a component (in the component diagram) or from the Browser. This creates a component instance and attaches the component instance to a node. If you display the node symbol in a deployment diagram, the component instance name is displayed within the node symbol to which it is attached.
For more information, see Deploying a component to a node.