Introduction
In Concept: IT Architecture outlined the concept of viewpoints (views and
aspects) that are used to describe the IT architecture of a "system". A Business Location is one of the
aspects, or vertical slices through the architecture, that defines and models a view that is useful in understanding
the enterprise and its operation. Note that location has a physical connotation, which is used in this view of
the system, but it is abstracted to the three different levels in the IT architecture, namely Business
(conceptual), Logical (logical) and Technical (physical).
Communications
In general, the communications modeling element represents the communications between locations that
are part of the "system". They start off at the Business level being very abstract, and are more physical as further
levels are defined.
From a modeling perspective, communications represents the wide-area-network (WAN) level of communications;
communications between different locations. As IP network modeling elements are introduced starting at the Logical
level, these elements simply have relationships defined, which represent the required communications between
them. The notion evolves slightly as on moves closer to the physical level of modeling:
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Business level communications represents the conceptual communications, of any type,
between Business Locations. It is an abstract element that is specified as a generalized
business link between locations, representing anything from physical movement of goods, to the electronic
communications most familiar to all. At a Business level, simple links with no technical details are defined with
optional definition of processes that traverse these links. See: Guideline: Business Locations Model.
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Logical level communications represents the logical communications, of any type, between
Logical Locations. It is an abstract element that is specified as a generalized Logical WAN Link in logical level
models. At a Logical level, these links may have generic technical details added, and optionally
the definition of processes that traverse these links. See: Guideline: Logical Locations Model.
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Technical level communications represent the physical communications, of any
type, between Technical Locations. It is an abstract element that is specified as a generalized Technical WAN Link
in technical level models. At a Technical level, these links may have specific technical details added, and
optionally the definition of processes that traverse these links. See: Guideline: Technical Locations Model.
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