Chapter 8 - Architecture Design Flashcards
What is architectural design?
Architectural design is a shorthand for the plans for how a system will be distributed across various hardware, what that hardware is, its OS, and the applications that are used on that hardware.
What are the key factors in architectural design?
The key factors in architectural design are the nonfunctional requirements laid out in the analysis phase.
What goes on during hardware and software specification?
During hardware and software specification, the needed hardware and software are designated. Duh.
What is the objective of architecture design?
Architecture design is meant to determine how the software that is being designed will be linked with the system’s hardware.
What are the architectural components of a system?
The architectural components of a system are basically just hardware and software.
What are the four functions of system architectural design?
The four functions of system architectural design are:
- Data Storage
- Data Access Logic - The processing required to access stored data
- Application Logic - Logic documented in DFDs, use cases, and functional requirements
- Presentation Logic - Display of information to the user, and acceptance of user commands
What are the three primary hardware components?
The three primary hardware components are:
- Client computers
- Servers
- The Network
What is a client-server architecture?
A client-server architecture is one where the processing is balanced between client devices and one or more servers.
In the client-server architecture, who is responsible for what?
In client-server architectures, the client is responsible for presentation logic, while the server is responsible for data access logic and data storage.
What is a thick/fat client?
A thick, or fat, client contains most or all of the application logic.
What is a thin client?
A thin client is a client that only contains a small portion of the application logic.
What are the four benefits of client-server architectures?
The main benefits of client-server architectures are thus:
- Scalability
- Through middleware, can support multiple types clients & servers
- The various logics can be independant
- If one server fails, only that server’s applications are affected.
What is the main downside of client-server architectures?
The main downside of client-server architectures is their complexity.
How do tiers work in architecture?
In system architecture, each tier is a device that is operated through in the process of operating the system. A three-tiered system might have a client communicating to an application server, which then speaks to a database server.
How does a server-based architecture work?
A server-based architecture works by using a dummy terminal to interact directly with the application running on the server.