Architectural Design


Establishing the overall
structure of a software system

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 1

Objectives

To introduce architectural design and to discuss its
importance

To explain why multiple models are required to
document a software architecture

To describe types of architectural model that may
be used

To discuss how domain-specific reference models
may be used as a basis for product-lines and to
compare software architectures

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 2

Topics covered

System structuring

Control models

Modular decomposition

Domain-specific architectures

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 3

Software architecture

The design process for identifying the sub-
systems making up a system and the framework
for sub-system control and communication is
architectural design

The output of this design process is a description
of the software architecture

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 4

Architectural design

An early stage of the system design process

Represents the link between specification and
design processes

Often carried out in parallel with some
specification activities

It involves identifying major system components
and their communications

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 5

Advantages of explicit architecture

Stakeholder communication
• Architecture may be used as a focus of discussion by system
stakeholders

System analysis
• Means that analysis of whether the system can meet its non-
functional requirements is possible

Large-scale reuse
• The architecture may be reusable across a range of systems

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 6

Architectural design process

System structuring
• The system is decomposed into several principal sub-systems
and communications between these sub-systems are identified

Control modelling
• A model of the control relationships between the different parts
of the system is established

Modular decomposition
• The identified sub-systems are decomposed into modules

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 7

Sub-systems and modules

A sub-system is a system in its own right whose
operation is independent of the services provided
by other sub-systems.

A module is a system component that provides
services to other components but would not
normally be considered as a separate system

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 8

Architectural models

Different architectural models may be produced
during the design process

Each model presents different perspectives on the
architecture

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 9

Architectural models

Static structural model that shows the major
system components

Dynamic process model that shows the process
structure of the system

Interface model that defines sub-system
interfaces

Relationships model such as a data-flow model

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 10

Architectural styles

The architectural model of a system may conform
to a generic architectural model or style

An awareness of these styles can simplify the
problem of defining system architectures

However, most large systems are heterogeneous
and do not follow a single architectural style

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 11

Architecture attributes

Performance
• Localise operations to minimise sub-system communication

Security
• Use a layered architecture with critical assets in inner layers

Safety
• Isolate safety-critical components

Availability
• Include redundant components in the architecture

Maintainability
• Use fine-grain, self-contained components

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 12

System structuring

Concerned with decomposing the system into
interacting sub-systems

The architectural design is normally expressed as
a block diagram presenting an overview of the
system structure

More specific models showing how sub-systems
share data, are distributed and interface with each
other may also be developed

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 13

Packing robot control system
Vision
system

Object Arm Gripper

identification controller controller
system

Packaging
selection
system

Packing Conveyor
system controller

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 14

The repository model

Sub-systems must exchange data. This may be
done in two ways:
• Shared data is held in a central database or repository and may
be accessed by all sub-systems
• Each sub-system maintains its own database and passes data
explicitly to other sub-systems

When large amounts of data are to be shared, the
repository model of sharing is most commonly
used

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 15

CASE toolset architecture
Design Code
editor generator

Design Project Program

translator repository editor

Design Report
analyser generator

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 16

Repository model characteristics

Advantages
• Efficient way to share large amounts of data
• Sub-systems need not be concerned with how data is produced
Centralised management e.g. backup, security, etc.
• Sharing model is published as the repository schema

Disadvantages
• Sub-systems must agree on a repository data model. Inevitably a
compromise
• Data evolution is difficult and expensive
• No scope for specific management policies
• Difficult to distribute efficiently

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 17

Client-server architecture

Distributed system model which shows how data
and processing is distributed across a range of
components

Set of stand-alone servers which provide specific
services such as printing, data management, etc.

Set of clients which call on these services

Network which allows clients to access servers

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 18

Film and picture library
Client 1 Client 2 Client 3 Client 4

Wide-bandwidth network

Catalogue Video Picture Hypertext

server server server server

Catalogue Film clip Digitiz ed Hypertext

files photographs web

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 19

Client-server characteristics

Advantages
• Distribution of data is straightforward
• Makes effective use of networked systems. May require cheaper
hardware
• Easy to add new servers or upgrade existing servers

Disadvantages
• No shared data model so sub-systems use different data
organisation. data interchange may be inefficient
• Redundant management in each server
• No central register of names and services - it may be hard to find
out what servers and services are available

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 20

Abstract machine model

Used to model the interfacing of sub-systems

Organises the 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 difficult to structure systems in this
way

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 21

Version management system
Version management

Object management

Database system

Operating
system

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 22

Control models

Are concerned with the control flow between
sub-systems. Distinct from the system
decomposition model

Centralised control
• One sub-system has overall responsibility for control and starts
and stops other sub-systems

Event-based control
• Each sub-system can respond to externally generated events
from other sub-systems or the system’s environment

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 23

Centralised control

A control sub-system takes responsibility for
managing the execution of other sub-systems

Call-return model
• Top-down subroutine model where control starts at the top of a
subroutine hierarchy and moves downwards. Applicable to
sequential systems

Manager model
• Applicable to concurrent systems. One system component
controls the stopping, starting and coordination of other system
processes. Can be implemented in sequential systems as a case
statement

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 24

Call-return model
Main
program

Routine 1 Routine 2 Routine 3

Routine 1.1 Routine 1.2 Routine 3.1 Routine 3.2

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 25

Real-time system control
Sensor Actuator
processes processes

System
contr oller

Computation User Fault

processes interface handler

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 26

Event-driven systems

Driven by externally generated events where the
timing of the event is outwith the control of the sub-
systems which process the event

Two principal event-driven models
• Broadcast models. An event is broadcast to all sub-systems. Any sub-
system which can handle the event may do so
• Interrupt-driven models. Used in real-time systems where interrupts are
detected by an interrupt handler and passed to some other component
for processing

Other event driven models include spreadsheets and
production systems

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 27

Broadcast model

Effective in integrating sub-systems on different
computers in a network

Sub-systems register an interest in specific events.
When these occur, control is transferred to the sub-
system which can handle the event

Control policy is not embedded in the event and
message handler. Sub-systems decide on events of
interest to them

However, sub-systems don’t know if or when an event
will be handled

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 28

Selective broadcasting

Sub-system Sub-system Sub-system Sub-system

1 2 3 4

Event and messa ge handler

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 29

Interrupt-driven systems

Used in real-time systems where fast response to
an event is essential

There are known interrupt types with a handler
defined for each type

Each type is associated with a memory location
and a hardware switch causes transfer to its
handler

Allows fast response but complex to program and
difficult to validate

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 30

Interrupt-driven control
Interrupts

Interrupt
vector

Handler Handler Handler Handler

1 2 3 4

Process Process Process Process

1 2 3 4

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 31

Modular decomposition

Another structural level where sub-systems are
decomposed into modules

Two modular decomposition models covered
• An object model where the system is decomposed into
interacting objects
• A data-flow model where the system is decomposed into
functional modules which transform inputs to outputs. Also
known as the pipeline model

If possible, decisions about concurrency should
be delayed until modules are implemented

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 32

Object models

Structure the system into a set of loosely coupled
objects with well-defined interfaces

Object-oriented decomposition is concerned with
identifying object classes, their attributes and
operations

When implemented, objects are created from
these classes and some control model used to
coordinate object operations

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 33

Invoice processing system
Customer Receipt
customer# invoice#
name date
address Invoice amount
credit period customer#
invoice#
date
amount
customer
Payment issue ()
invoice# sendR eminder ()
date acceptPayment ()
amount sendR eceipt ()
customer#

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 34

Data-flow models

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

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 35

Invoice processing system

Issue
Receipts
receipts

Read issued Identify

invoices payments
Find Issue
payments payment Reminders
due reminder
Invoices Payments

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 36

Domain-specific architectures

Architectural models which are specific to some
application domain

Two types of domain-specific model
• Generic models which are abstractions from a number of real
systems and which encapsulate the principal characteristics of these
systems
• Reference models which are more abstract, idealised model. Provide
a means of information about that class of system and of comparing
different architectures

Generic models are usually bottom-up models;
Reference models are top-down models

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 37

Generic models

Compiler model is a well-known example although
other models exist in more specialised application
domains
• Lexical analyser
• Symbol table
• Syntax analyser
• Syntax tree
• Semantic analyser
• Code generator

Generic compiler model may be organised according to
different architectural models

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 38

Compiler model

Symbol
table

Lexical Syntactic Semantic Code

analysis analysis analysis generation

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 39

Language processing system
Lexical Syntax Semantic
analyser analyser analyser

Pretty- Abstract Grammar

printer syntax tree definition Optimizer

Symbol Output Code

Editor
table definition generator

Repository

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 40

Reference architectures

Reference models are derived from a study of the
application domain rather than from existing
systems

May be used as a basis for system
implementation or to compare different systems.
It acts as a standard against which systems can be
evaluated

OSI model is a layered model for communication
systems

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 41

OSI reference model
7 Application
Application Application

6 Presentation Presentation

5 Session Session

4 Transport Transport

3 Network Network Network

2 Data link Data link Data link

1 Physical Physical Physical

Communica tions medium

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 42

Key points

The software architect is responsible for deriving a
structural system model, a control model and a sub-
system decomposition model

Large systems rarely conform to a single architectural
model

System decomposition models include repository
models, client-server models and abstract machine
models

Control models include centralised control and event-
driven models

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 43

Key points

Modular decomposition models include data-flow
and object models

Domain specific architectural models are
abstractions over an application domain. They
may be constructed by abstracting from existing
systems or may be idealised reference models

©Ian Sommerville 2000 Software Engineering, 6th edition. Chapter 10 Slide 44