Patterns are a means of representing, sharing and reusing
knowledge. An architectural pattern is a stylized description of good design practice, which has been tried and tested in different environments. Patterns should include information about when they are and when the are not useful. Patterns may be represented using tabular and graphical descriptions. 4 The Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern
Name MVC (Model-View-Controller)
Description Separates presentation and interaction from the system data. The system is structured into three logical components that interact with each other. The Model component manages the system data and associated operations on that data. The View component defines and manages how the data is presented to the user. The Controller component manages user interaction (e.g., key presses, mouse clicks, etc.) and passes these interactions to the View and the Model. (See Next Slide).
Example Next slide shows the architecture of a web-based application system organized using the MVC pattern.
When used Used when there are multiple ways to view and interact with data. Also used when the future requirements for interaction and presentation of data are unknown.
Advantages Allows the data to change independently of its representation and vice versa. Supports presentation of the same data in different ways with changes made in one representation shown in all of them.
Disadvantages Can involve additional code and code complexity when the data model and interactions are simple. 5 The organization of the Model-View- Controller 6 Web application architecture using the MVC pattern 7 Layered architecture pattern
Used to model the interfacing of sub-systems.
Organisesthe system into a set of layers (or abstract machines) each of which provide a set of services. Supports the incremental development of sub-systems in different layers. When a layer interface changes, only the adjacent layer is affected. However, often artificial to structure systems in this way 8 The Layered architecture pattern Name Layered architecture Description Organizes the system into layers with related functionality associated with each layer. A layer provides services to the layer above it so the lowest-level layers represent core services that are likely to be used throughout the system.
Example A layered model of a system for sharing copyright documents held in different libraries, (see another slide).
When used Used when building new facilities on top of existing systems; when the development is spread across several teams with each team responsibility for a layer of functionality; when there is a requirement for multi-level security.
Advantages Allows replacement of entire layers so long as the interface is maintained. Redundant facilities (e.g., authentication) can be provided in each layer to increase the dependability of the system.
Disadvantages In practice, providing a clean separation between layers is often difficult and a high-level layer may have to interact directly with lower-level layers rather than through the layer immediately below it. Performance can be a problem because of multiple levels of interpretation of a service request as it is processed at each layer. 9 A generic layered architecture 10 The architecture of the LIBSYS system 11 The Repository pattern
Name Repository Description All data in a system is managed in a central repository that is accessible to all system components. Components do not interact directly, only through the repository.
Example Next slide is an example of an IDE where the components use a repository of system design information. Each software tool generates information which is then available for use by other tools.
When used You should use this pattern when you have a system in which large volumes of information are generated that has to be stored for a long time. You may also use it in data-driven systems where the inclusion of data in the repository triggers an action or tool.
Advantages Components can be independent—they do not need to know of the existence of other components. Changes made by one component can be propagated to all components. All data can be managed consistently (e.g., backups done at the same time) as it is all in one place.
Disadvantages The repository is a single point of failure so problems in the repository affect the whole system. May be inefficiencies in organizing all communication through the repository. Distributing the repository across several computers may be difficult. 12 A repository architecture for an IDE 13 Client-server architecture pattern
Distributed system model which shows how data and processing is
distributed across a range of components. Can be implemented on a single computer. 1. Set of stand-alone servers which provide specific services such as printing, data management, etc. 2. Set of clients which call on these services. 3. Network which allows clients to access servers. 14 The Client–server pattern
Name Client-server Description In a client–server architecture, the functionality of the system is organized into services, with each service delivered from a separate server. Clients are users of these services and access servers to make use of them.
Example Next slide shows an example of a film and video/DVD library organized as a client–server system. When used Used when data in a shared database has to be accessed from a range of locations. Because servers can be replicated, may also be used when the load on a system is variable. Advantages The principal advantage of this model is that servers can be distributed across a network. General functionality (e.g., a printing service) can be available to all clients and does not need to be implemented by all services.
Disadvantages Each service is a single point of failure so susceptible to denial of service attacks or server failure. Performance may be unpredictable because it depends on the network as well as the system. May be management problems if servers are owned by different organizations. 15 A client–server architecture for a film library 16 Pipe and filter architecture
Functional transformations process their inputs to produce outputs.
May be referred to as a pipe and filter model (as in UNIX shell). Variants of this approach are very common. When transformations are sequential, this is a batch sequential model which is extensively used in data processing systems. Not really suitable for interactive systems. 17 The pipe and filter pattern Name Pipe and filter Description The processing of the data in a system is organized so that each processing component (filter) is discrete and carries out one type of data transformation. The data flows (as in a pipe) from one component to another for processing.
Example Next slide shows an example of a pipe and filter system used for processing invoices.
When used Commonly used in data processing applications (both batch- and transaction-based) where inputs are processed in separate stages to generate related outputs.
Advantages Easy to understand and supports transformation reuse. Workflow style matches the structure of many business processes. Evolution by adding transformations is straightforward. Can be implemented as either a sequential or concurrent system.
Disadvantages The format for data transfer has to be agreed upon between communicating transformations. Each transformation must parse its input and unparse its output to the agreed form. This increases system overhead and may mean that it is impossible to reuse functional transformations that use incompatible data structures. 18 An example of the pipe and filter architecture 19 Application architectures
Application systems are designed to meet an organizational need.
As businesses have much in common, their application systems also tend to have a common architecture that reflects the application requirements. A generic application architecture is an architecture for a type of software system that may be configured and adapted to create a system that meets specific requirements. 20 Use of application architectures
1. As a starting point for architectural design.
2. As a design checklist. 3. As a way of organizing the work of the development team. 4. As a means of assessing components for reuse. 5. As a vocabulary for talking about application types. 21 Examples of application types Data processing applications Data driven applications that process data in batches without explicit user intervention during the processing. Transaction processing applications Data-centred applications that process user requests and update information in a system database. Event processing systems Applications where system actions depend on interpreting events from the system’s environment. Language processing systems Applications where the users’ intentions are specified in a formal language that is processed and interpreted by the system. 22 Application type examples
Focus here is on transaction processing and language processing
systems. Transaction processing systems E-commerce systems; Reservation systems. Language processing systems Compilers; Command interpreters. 23 Transaction processing systems
Process user requests for information from a database or requests
to update the database. From a user perspective a transaction is: Any coherent sequence of operations that satisfies a goal; For example - find the times of flights from London to Paris. Users make asynchronous requests for service which are then processed by a transaction manager. 24 The structure of transaction processing applications 25 The software architecture of an ATM system 26 Information systems architecture
Information systems have a generic architecture that can be
organized as a layered architecture. These are transaction-based systems as interaction with these systems generally involves database transactions. Layers include: The user interface User communications Information retrieval System database 27 Layered information system architecture 28 The architecture of the MHC-PMS 29 Web-based information systems
Information and resource management systems are now usually web-based
systems where the user interfaces are implemented using a web browser. For example, e-commerce systems are Internet-based resource management systems that accept electronic orders for goods or services and then arrange delivery of these goods or services to the customer. In an e-commerce system, the application-specific layer includes additional functionality supporting a ‘shopping cart’ in which users can place a number of items in separate transactions, then pay for them all together in a single transaction. 30 Server implementation
These systems are often implemented as multi-tier client server/architectures
The web server is responsible for all user communications, with the user interface implemented using a web browser; The application server is responsible for implementing application-specific logic as well as information storage and retrieval requests; The database server moves information to and from the database and handles transaction management. 31 Language processing systems
Accept a natural or artificial language as input and generate some
other representation of that language. May include an interpreter to act on the instructions in the language that is being processed. Used in situations where the easiest way to solve a problem is to describe an algorithm or describe the system data Meta-case tools process tool descriptions, method rules, etc and generate tools. 32 The architecture of a language processing system 33 Compiler components
A lexical analyzer, which takes input language tokens and converts them to an internal form. A symbol table, which holds information about the names of entities (variables, class names, object names, etc.) used in the text that is being translated. A syntax analyzer, which checks the syntax of the language being translated. A syntax tree, which is an internal structure representing the program being compiled. 34 Compiler components
A semantic analyzer that uses information from the syntax tree and the symbol table to check the semantic correctness of the input language text. A code generator that ‘walks’ the syntax tree and generates abstract machine code. 35 A pipe and filter compiler architecture 36 A repository architecture for a language processing system 37 Key points
A software architecture is a description of how a software system is organized.
Architectural design decisions include decisions on the type of application, the distribution of the system, the architectural styles to be used. Architectures may be documented from several different perspectives or views such as a conceptual view, a logical view, a process view, and a development view. Architectural patterns are a means of reusing knowledge about generic system architectures. They describe the architecture, explain when it may be used and describe its advantages and disadvantages. 38 Key points
Models of application systems architectures help us understand and compare
applications, validate application system designs and assess large-scale components for reuse. Transaction processing systems are interactive systems that allow information in a database to be remotely accessed and modified by a number of users. Language processing systems are used to translate texts from one language into another and to carry out the instructions specified in the input language. They include a translator and an abstract machine that executes the generated language. Q&A
Suggest Why It is Important to Make a Distinction Between Developing the User Requirements and Developing System Requirements in the Requirements Engineering Process
Suggest Why It is Important to Make a Distinction Between Developing the User Requirements and Developing System Requirements in the Requirements Engineering Process
