Systems

Architectures
Architecture
 The architecture of a system defines its high-level structure,
exposing its gross organization as a collection of interacting
components.
 Components needed to model a software architecture include:
 Components, Connectors, Systems, Properties and Styles.

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IT Architecture Concepts
 Components
 The computational elements and data stores of the
system
 May have multiple interfaces, called ports
 Ports define a point of interaction between a
component and its environment
 Connectors
 Model interactions among components
 Runtime perspective: connectors mediate the
communication and coordination activities between
components
 Connectors may have interfaces that define the roles
played by the participants in the interaction
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IT Architecture Concepts
 Systems
 Graphs of components and connectors
 Tend to be hierarchical – components and connectors
may represent subsystems that have their own internal
architectures
 Bindings map the interfaces of one level of a system to
another

 Properties
 Represent the non-structural information about the
parts of an architecture description
 Example: a connector can be a function call, or a
network interaction
 Properties can be attached to any architectural element
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IT Architecture Concepts
 Style
 An architectural style represents a family of related systems
 Defines the design vocabulary (and constraints) for the components,
connectors, ports, roles, bindings and properties.

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 System Architect

 The architect is a member of the team that is responsible for designing and
building a system
• A system architect, not only knows about the individual components, but
also understands the interrelationships among the components

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 Systems Architecting

 Systems Architecting has been defined as the process of creating

complex, unprecedented systems
Because building systems in today’s world is tenuous at best
 Requirements of the marketplace are ill-defined
 Rapidly evolving technology
 components that will be incorporated and the interconnections that will be
made

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 Traditional Approach
to System Architecting

 Many methodologies have been developed to support a

traditional system development model
 Define the requirements
 Consider several options
 Emerge with a well-defined design through a process of
elimination
 Based on structured analysis and design

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The Traditional
Approach

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 Evolutionary Approach

 Deals with uncertainty in requirements and in

technology, especially for systems with a long
development time and expected long life cycle
 Evolutionary development
 Build-a-little, Test-a-little

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 Evolutionary Approach - 2

 Intermediate designs are saved

 Some intermediate designs are implemented as prototypes but not
operationally implemented while others are implemented in traditional
ways

Advantages of Object-Oriented approach:

Allows flexibility in the design as it evolves over time
Disadvantages of Object-Oriented approach:
Requires some early elimination of technology alternatives
in the absence of reliable information
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Evolutionary Approach

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 Select, Build, and Field

 At any time in the development process, when there is

a need to build a system, the available solution that
best meets the current requirements is selected and
implemented using any systems engineering approach

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Select, Build, and Field

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 The Challenge of
Coping With Change

 If the implementation is long, then the situation shown

next prevails, with the unfortunate consequences that
very little, if any, from the work on Option A is used for
Option B

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 The Challenge of
Coping With Change

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 Defining an architecture, especially of an information
system, requires the following items to be described:
 Processes exist that need to take place in order that the
system accomplish its intended functions
 The individual processes transform either data or
materials that “flow” between them
 The processes or activities or operations follow rules that
establish the conditions under which they occur
 The components that will implement the design
(hardware, software, personnel, and facilities must be
described)

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 Define the Functional Architecture
 A functional architecture is:
 A set of activities or functions that are arranged in a specific
order and when activated, achieves a set of requirements
 Divide and allocate the functional requirements into different
sub-functions and modes of operation

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 Define the Physical Architecture
 A physical architecture is:
 A representation of the physical resources
 Expressed as nodes that constitute the system and their
connectivity
 Expressed in the form of links

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 Define the technical architecture
 A minimal set of rules governing the arrangement,
interaction, and interdependence of the parts or elements
that must ensure that a conformant system satisfies a
specified set of requirements
 Provides the framework upon which engineering
specifications can be derived, guiding the implementation
of the system
 Analogous to the building code that provides guidance for
new buildings to be able to connect to the existing
infrastructure by characterizing the attributes of that
infrastructure

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