Figure PR.17 - PhysicalContainer in More Detail

A PhysicalContainer is an abstract class that is used to add additional semantics to the ManagedHardware class. Its attributes define whether a ManagedHardware object can be removed and/or replaced, and whether this action requires power to be removed or not when the action is performed. It is shown in the Figure below.<br/>The removable attribute is a Boolean that defines whether it is possible to insert and remove this object instance from the Equipment in which it is installed, without impairing the function or packaging of the Equipment. TRUE means that it is HotSwappable, and FALSE means that it is not.<br/>The replaceable attribute is a Boolean that defines whether it is possible to replace this object instance with a physically different instance of the same type. For example, some types of device allow various Chips to be upgraded. TRUE means that it is HotSwappable, and FALSE means that it is not.<br/>The hotSwappable attribute is a Boolean that defines whether it is possible to replace this object instance with a physically different, but equivalent, object instance while the containing Equipment has power applied to it. TRUE means that it is HotSwappable, and FALSE means that it is not. All HotSwappable PhysicalComponents are inherently Removable and Replaceable.<br/>Thus, the purpose of the PhysicalContainer object is to add the removable, replaceable, and hotSwappable semantics to ManagedHardware entities. By doing this, it serves as the subclass for our four remaining types of objects: PhysicalComponents (such as chips and ASICs), AuxiliaryComponents (such as PowerSupplies), EquipmentHolders (such as Racks, Chassis and Slots) and Equipment (such as Cards). These will be described in subsequent subsections of this section.<br/>