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Questions and Answers
What is the primary output of the architectural design process?
What is the primary output of the architectural design process?
What does architectural design mainly link together?
What does architectural design mainly link together?
Why is refactoring the system architecture usually considered expensive?
Why is refactoring the system architecture usually considered expensive?
What is a characteristic of architecture in the small?
What is a characteristic of architecture in the small?
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One of the advantages of explicit architecture is large-scale reuse. What does this imply?
One of the advantages of explicit architecture is large-scale reuse. What does this imply?
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What aspect of systems can be analyzed through architectural design?
What aspect of systems can be analyzed through architectural design?
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What role does architecture play in stakeholder communication?
What role does architecture play in stakeholder communication?
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What is the focus of application architectures?
What is the focus of application architectures?
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What is the main benefit of using a repository architecture for data sharing?
What is the main benefit of using a repository architecture for data sharing?
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In a repository architecture, how do components interact?
In a repository architecture, how do components interact?
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What is a described disadvantage of the repository architecture?
What is a described disadvantage of the repository architecture?
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When is it most appropriate to use the repository pattern?
When is it most appropriate to use the repository pattern?
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Which statement is not a feature of the repository architecture?
Which statement is not a feature of the repository architecture?
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What triggers actions or tools in a data-driven system using a repository?
What triggers actions or tools in a data-driven system using a repository?
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What is a potential inefficiency when using a repository architecture?
What is a potential inefficiency when using a repository architecture?
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Why might distributing a repository across several computers be challenging?
Why might distributing a repository across several computers be challenging?
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What purpose do application architectures serve in architectural design?
What purpose do application architectures serve in architectural design?
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Which of the following is characterized as a data-driven application?
Which of the following is characterized as a data-driven application?
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For transaction processing systems, what is a transaction from a user's perspective?
For transaction processing systems, what is a transaction from a user's perspective?
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Which of the following types of systems processes user requests and updates a database?
Which of the following types of systems processes user requests and updates a database?
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What is a defining characteristic of event processing systems?
What is a defining characteristic of event processing systems?
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Which of these applications is typically NOT classified as a transaction processing system?
Which of these applications is typically NOT classified as a transaction processing system?
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The software architecture of an ATM system is an example of what type of application?
The software architecture of an ATM system is an example of what type of application?
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What is a common architectural trait shared by information systems?
What is a common architectural trait shared by information systems?
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What is the primary advantage of client-server architecture?
What is the primary advantage of client-server architecture?
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In client-server architecture, what would represent a potential single point of failure?
In client-server architecture, what would represent a potential single point of failure?
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What characteristic is NOT inherent to a client-server architecture?
What characteristic is NOT inherent to a client-server architecture?
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What is a common issue with performance in a client-server model?
What is a common issue with performance in a client-server model?
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When is it most advantageous to use client-server architecture?
When is it most advantageous to use client-server architecture?
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Which of the following best defines a pipe and filter architecture?
Which of the following best defines a pipe and filter architecture?
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Which statement about client-server models is true?
Which statement about client-server models is true?
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What is a disadvantage of the client-server architecture?
What is a disadvantage of the client-server architecture?
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What is the primary purpose of layered architecture?
What is the primary purpose of layered architecture?
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What is a significant advantage of the layered architecture?
What is a significant advantage of the layered architecture?
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When is layered architecture particularly beneficial?
When is layered architecture particularly beneficial?
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What is a common disadvantage of implementing layered architecture?
What is a common disadvantage of implementing layered architecture?
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In a layered architecture, what does each layer provide?
In a layered architecture, what does each layer provide?
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What is a challenge posed by layered architecture concerning changes in layer interfaces?
What is a challenge posed by layered architecture concerning changes in layer interfaces?
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What is one reason why providing a clean separation between layers can be difficult?
What is one reason why providing a clean separation between layers can be difficult?
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Why might redundant facilities like authentication be included in every layer?
Why might redundant facilities like authentication be included in every layer?
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What is the primary characteristic of a batch sequential model?
What is the primary characteristic of a batch sequential model?
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What does the pipe and filter model primarily facilitate in a data processing application?
What does the pipe and filter model primarily facilitate in a data processing application?
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Which of these is identified as a disadvantage of the pipe and filter architecture?
Which of these is identified as a disadvantage of the pipe and filter architecture?
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What does the pipe and filter architecture generally require for its components?
What does the pipe and filter architecture generally require for its components?
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How is a generic application architecture best described?
How is a generic application architecture best described?
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What workflow advantage does the pipe and filter pattern provide?
What workflow advantage does the pipe and filter pattern provide?
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Which statement best represents the use case of the pipe and filter architecture?
Which statement best represents the use case of the pipe and filter architecture?
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What is a key factor in the design of application systems for organizations?
What is a key factor in the design of application systems for organizations?
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Study Notes
Architectural Design
- Architectural design is concerned with understanding how a software system should be organized and designing the overall structure of that system.
- It's the crucial link between design and requirements engineering.
- It identifies the key structural components of a system and their relationships.
- The output of the architectural design process is an architectural model that illustrates the system's organization as a set of interconnected components.
Topics Covered
- Architectural design decisions
- Architectural views
- Architectural patterns
- Application architectures
Agility and Architecture
- An early stage in agile processes typically involves designing an overall system architecture.
- Refactoring the system architecture is usually expensive due to the impact on many system components.
Architectural Abstraction
- Architecture in the "small" focuses on individual programs, examining their decomposition into components.
- Architecture in the "large" pertains to complex enterprise systems encompassing multiple systems, programs, and components distributed across various computers, potentially managed by different companies.
Advantages of Explicit Architecture
- Stakeholder Communication: Architectural models facilitate discussions among system stakeholders.
- System Analysis: Allows analyzing whether the system can fulfill non-functional requirements.
- Large-Scale Reuse: Enables reusable architecture across multiple systems, allowing the development of product-line architectures.
Architectural Representations
- Simple, informal block diagrams are the most common way to document software architectures, showing entities and relationships.
- However, these diagrams often lack semantics and don't explicitly show the types of relationships or properties of entities.
- Architectural model requirements depend on the intended use of models.
Box and Line Diagrams
- Highly abstract, lacking details on component relationships and external properties of sub-systems.
- Useful for communication with stakeholders and project planning.
Use of Architectural Models
- Facilitate discussion regarding system design. A high-level view helps stakeholders understand the system without getting lost in detail. This allows better planning and communication.
- Document an architecture that's already been designed. This aims to generate a comprehensive system model defining system components, their interfaces, and connections.
Architectural Design Decisions
- Architectural design is a creative process, varying based on the specific system being developed.
- Many decisions affect non-functional characteristics of the system, such as performance, security, safety, and maintainability.
Architectural Design Decisions (Specific Questions)
- Is there a generic application architecture template for the project?
- How will the system distribute itself across hardware resources?
- What architectural styles might be appropriate?
- What fundamental approach will structure the system?
- What strategy will control component operation?
- How will components decompose?
- What architectural organization best delivers non-functional system requirements?
- How should the architecture be documented?
Architecture Reuse
- Systems in the same domain frequently share similar architectures reflecting common domain concepts.
- Application product lines are often built upon a core architecture with variations tailored to specific customer needs.
- A system's architecture can be designed around one or more patterns or styles capturing architecture's essence for reuse.
Architecture and System Characteristics
- Performance: Minimize inter-component communication, favor large-grained components.
- Security: Utilize layered architecture to secure key components.
- Safety: Isolate safety-critical elements into separate sub-systems.
- Availability: Implement redundant components and fault tolerance.
- Maintainability: Use easily replaceable components.
Architectural Views
- What types of views are suitable for documenting a system's architecture?
- What notations work well for representing architectural models?
- Each architectural model provides a single perspective of a system.
- Models can illustrate system decomposition into modules, the interaction of run-time processes, and how components are distributed. Multiple views are often necessary for a full understanding.
4 + 1 View Model
- Logical View: Emphasizes key abstractions using objects or classes.
- Process View: Illustrates how the system is composed of run-time interactions.
- Development View: Demonstrates how software is constructed.
- Physical View: Shows system hardware and component distribution across processors.
- Use Case or Scenario View (additional): Links the above views using use cases or scenarios for context.
Representing Architectural Views
- Some argue UML is suitable for documenting system architectures, but this is disputed.
- Architectural Description Languages (ADLs) have been developed but aren't widely used.
Architectural Patterns
- Patterns are useful to represent, share and reuse knowledge about architectural approaches.
- Architectural patterns represent tried, tested design practices in various contexts, including details about when they are most and least suitable.
- Patterns are often described with tables or diagrams.
Model-View-Controller (MVC) Pattern
- Separates presentation/interaction from data, structuring into Model (data management), View (presentation logic), and Controller (interaction handling).
- Suitable for systems with multiple ways to view/interact with data when future requirements are unclear.
- Allows components to change independently, simplifying future adjustments.
- Can be more complex if simple data models and interactions are involved.
Web Application Architecture using MVC
- A typical web application architecture utilizing the MVC pattern.
- Diagram shows flow of user interactions through the system components in this example.
Layered Architecture.
- Represents interactions by layering sub-systems, each providing a set of services.
- Supports incremental development changes impacting only adjacent layers.
- However, sometimes can be overly artificial when structuring systems.
Layered Architecture Pattern - Specifics
- Layers associated with the functionality of the system, with lower layers serving higher ones.
- Usually for systems with modular or distributed requirements.
- Allows independent development of each layer's features.
- Can be difficult to maintain a strictly layered separation in practice.
Generic Layered Architecture
- A generalized structure demonstrating the tiered nature of most applications.
iLearn System Architecture
- A layered diagram illustrating an application structure incorporating layers for core processes, identity management, and utility functions.
Repository Architecture
- Sub-systems share data through a central repository.
- Each sub-system can exchange data (e.g. through an intermediary).
- Highly beneficial for large, shared data environments.
Repository Pattern - Details
- All data in system is managed through a central point.
- Components interact indirectly through the repository.
- This is advantageous in scenarios with large volumes of shared data.
- Can create problems if the repository becomes the system's single point of failure.
Repository Architecture Example - IDE
- Shows a possible repository structure in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), showcasing connections between components using the repository.
Client-Server Architecture
- A distributed system model showing how data and processes are divided across components.
- Can be implemented on a single computer.
- Server provides specific services (printing, data management).
- Clients access these services.
- Network enables client connections to servers.
Client-Server Pattern Details
- The system functionality is separated into service-delivering servers and service-using clients.
- Services are often physically distributed across a network.
- The server is a key "point of failure".
Client-Server Structure Example - Film Library
- Illustrates a client-server architecture example for a film library, showing servers for cataloguing, for video material, etc.
Pipe and Filter Architecture
- Functional components process data to generate outputs.
- Data flows sequentially through components like a pipe.
- Suitable for batch processing systems, frequently used in UNIX shells.
- Less practical for interactive systems.
Pipe and Filter Pattern Details
- This architecture emphasizes individual components processing data steps, ideally fitting for sequences and independent tasks.
- Data flow is directed and relatively easy to understand and track, although data format needs to be compatible among components.
Pipe and Filter Structure Example - Payments System
- A simple data flow diagram illustrating a pipe and filter example applicable to a payment processing system.
Application Architectures
- Application systems are built to meet particular organizational needs.
- Systems often share a common architectural approach.
- Generic architectures can form the basis for future modifications.
Use of Application Architectures
- Can inform architectural design.
- Serve as a method to guide the work of development teams.
- Help assess whether existing components are adaptable to new needs.
- Provide a vocabulary to readily discuss different types of applications.
Examples of Application Types
- Data processing systems process data in batches, usually without user interaction.
- Transaction processing systems manage data in a central database, handling user interactions.
- Event processing applications respond to events.
- Language processing programs interpret languages.
Application Type Examples
- Specific application types, like e-commerce, reservation systems, and language processing systems (compilers, interpreters), illustrate the applicability of different architectural strategies.
Transaction Processing Systems
- Process user requests concerning information from, or updating, a central database.
- Transaction is considered as a coherent group of operations.
- User requests are often processed asynchronously by a transaction manager.
Transaction Processing Structure Example
- Diagram showing the basic structure of a transaction processing system with components for input/output, application logic, transaction management, and data storage (database).
ATM System Architecture
- Flowchart demonstrating input, process, and output steps for a typical Automated Teller Machine (ATM).
Information Systems Architecture
- A layered approach for transaction-based systems is common.
- Layers include user interfaces, communication interfaces, information retrieval, and system databases.
Layered Information System Architecture
- Diagram illustrating a layered approach for information systems with layers of user interface, communication, information retrieval/modification, transaction management, and system database.
Mentcare System Architecture
- A layered diagram illustrating the architecture of a health care application.
Web-Based Information Systems
- Modern web applications often use a web browser as the user interface.
- E-commerce systems, for instance, use this approach to receive, process, and deliver goods or services.
Server Implementations
- Multi-tiered architectures, as detailed in other chapters, are often used for server implementation.
- The web server facilitates user interaction.
- The application server handles the implemented application code and data retrieval from the system database or other sources.
- Database servers maintain and interact with data.
Language Processing System Architecture
- Shows how instructions, after translation and semantic analysis, can be executed creating a flow of steps from source processing, conversion to an abstract machine representation, and interpretation to provide results.
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Description
Explore key concepts in architectural design through this quiz. It covers the outputs of the design process, relationships between components, and characteristics of system architecture. Perfect for students and professionals looking to deepen their understanding of architectural principles.
