12 Working with Pipe and Capacity Specifications
Pipes are the fundamental entities that underlay the connectivity functionality in UIM. They are generic and are designed to be as flexible as possible.
Note:
Most common telecommunications connectivity scenarios can be implemented by using Connectivity entities, which are extensions of Pipe entities. Connectivity entities include more advanced functionality than pipes.
You can still implement solutions by using pipes directly, however. For example, pipes are recommended for modeling physical connectivity such as ducts and cables. Because pipe entities do not require end locations and terminations, they can also be useful in situations in which you do not need to model all the details of a connectivity.
If you previously modeled connectivity using pipes, you can continue to use those entities. Pipes and Connectivity entities can co-exist in the same inventory. Pipes can enable Connectivity entities and Connectivity entities can enable pipes.
When working with Pipe specifications, see the following topics: