Replicate Entities on Multiple Paths

The Entity Replicator block enables you to distribute copies of an entity on multiple entity paths. Replicating entities might be a requirement of the situation you are modeling. For example, copies of messages in a multicasting communication system can advance to multiple transmitters or multiple recipients.

Similarly, copies of computer jobs can advance to multiple computers in a cluster so that the jobs can be processed in parallel on different platforms.

In some cases, replicating entities is a convenient modeling construct.

Modeling Notes

• Unlike the Entity Output Switch block, the Entity Replicator block has departures at all of its entity output ports that are not blocked, not just a single selected entity output port.

• If your model routes the replicates such that they use a common entity path, then be aware that blockages can occur during the replication process. For example, if you have this scenario:

  • An Entity Replicator block has the Replicas depart from parameter set to Separate output ports.

  • The block has these output ports connected to individual Entity Server blocks.

  A blockage can occur because the servers can accommodate at most one of the replicates at a time. The blockage causes fewer than the maximum number of replicates to depart from the block.

• Each time the Entity Replicator block replicates an entity, the copies depart in a sequence whose start is determined by the Hold original entity until all replicas depart parameter. Although all copies depart at the same time instant, the sequence might be significant in some modeling situations. For details, see the reference page for the Entity Replicator block.