Communication Endpoint
Discussion
A Communication Endpoint identifies a point of information exchange used by one or more Nodes. It gives the architecture a way to describe where information moves without requiring a specific communication technology.
A Node may publish to, subscribe to, send through, receive through, expose, consume, or otherwise use a Communication Endpoint. A Communication Endpoint may carry Data Structure Instances, control instructions, status reports, policy decisions, release records, audit events, provenance records, or evidence-related information.
A Communication Endpoint exists at the conceptual level. Later parts may realize a Communication Endpoint as a DDS Topic, API endpoint, service interface, message queue, event stream, file exchange point, gateway interface, or other exchange mechanism.
Definition
point of information exchange used by one or more Nodes
Source
Adapted from FX Demo Reference Architecture, Section 2.1.15, Communication Endpoint; generalised beyond DDS and FX-specific communication mechanisms.
Note
A Communication Endpoint is not a Node, Data Structure Definition, Data Structure Instance, Runtime Plane, or deployment artifact.
Example
A later DDS-based implementation profile may realize a cash-flow Communication Endpoint as a DDS Topic that carries cash-flow obligation instances.