Figure PR.27 - Exemplary Subclasses of AuxiliaryComponent

The following Figure shows a third important subclass of PhysicalContainer, called AuxiliaryComponent. As stated previously, an AuxiliaryComponent is an abstract base class that represents managed entities, such as power supplies and fans, which are required for the proper operation of the Device but have a primary function that is different than the primary end-user function(s) of the Device. Two exemplary subclasses of AuxiliaryComponent are shown in below.<br/>The difference between AuxiliaryComponents and other subclasses of Equipment are whether or not the physical object performs a function intrinsic to the main function of the Device. For example, a PowerSupply is an AuxiliaryComponent, because even though it is needed for the proper operation of the Router, it does not directly help in routing and forwarding packets. A LineCard (that provides routing functionality) is a subclass of Equipment because its purpose is to route and forward packets.<br/>