chapter 7

1. What is the architecture of a computer system?

Answer:
The architecture of a computer system is the high-level (most general) design on which the
system is based.

Architectural features include:

Components: The individual parts of the system.

Collaborations: How components interact.
Connectors: How components communicate.

2. What are the key attributes of software system architecture?

Answer:

Architecture describes the structure of the system.

Architecture forms the transition from analysis to implementation.
Architecture is viewed from different viewpoints: conceptual, runtime, process, and
implementation.
Architecture makes a system understandable.

3. What factors influence system architecture related to quality considerations?

Answer:
Quality considerations:

Performance: The speed and efficiency of the system.

Scalability: Ability to handle growth in workload.
Reusability: Ease of using components in other projects.
Other factors (depending on specific requirements).

4. What factors influence system architecture related to functional

requirements?

Answer:
Functional requirements:

Clients: End-users of the system.

Users: Specific groups interacting with the system.
Other stakeholders: Parties with an interest in the system.

5. What factors influence system architecture related to technical aspects and

experience?
Answer:
Experience with:

Existing architecture: Knowledge from previous systems.

Patterns: Commonly used architectural solutions.
Project management: Skills in organizing and executing the project.

Technical aspects:

Operating system: The system software managing hardware and software resources.
Middleware: Software enabling communication between different components.
Legacy systems: Older systems still in use.
Other factors (depending on technical requirements).

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1. What are the specifics in web application architecture?

Answer:

A number of architectures have been developed for specific requirements in various

application domains.
For web application architecture, key considerations include:
Layering aspect: To implement the principle of separation of concerns.
Data aspects: To support the processing of structured and non-structured data.

2. How do web application quality requirements differ from desktop

applications?

Answer:

Web applications have more demanding quality requirementscompared to desktop

applications, including:
Performance: The speed and responsiveness of the application.
Security: Protecting the system from threats.
Scalability: Ability to handle increased user load.
Availability: Ensuring the application is accessible at all times.
Specific technical infrastructures are needed for both development and operation.

3. What key architectural considerations are required for web applications?

Answer:

Web Infrastructure Architecture (WPA):) The underlying technical setup for hosting and
supporting the application.
Web Application Architecture (WAA): )The design of the application itself.
The Web Application Architecture (WAA) depends on the problem domain of the
application.
 therefore we focus on web platform architecture (WPA)

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Components of a Web Application Architecture

Client:

Generally a browser (user agent) controlled by a user to operate the web application.
The client’s functionality can be expanded by installing plug-ins.

Firewall:

A piece of software regulating the communication between insecure networks (e.g., the
Internet) and secure networks (e.g., corporate LANs).
Communication is filtered by access rules.

Proxy:

A proxy is typically used to temporarily store web pages in a cache.

Web Server:

A web server is a piece of software that supports various web protocols like HTTP, HTTPS,
etc., to process client requests.

Database Server:

This server supplies data in a structured form, such as tables.

Legacy Application:

An older system that should be integrated as an internal or external component.

Media Server:

This component is primarily used for content streaming of non-structured bulk data (e.g.,
audio or video).

Application Server:

An application server holds the functionality required by several applications.

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3. Layered Architecture for Web Applications

Presentation Tier:

Every web application needs to communicate with external entities, such as human users
or other computers.
 Allows these entities to interact with the system and is implemented as a GUI interface.
Focuses on how the data should appear to the user.

Application Tier:

Web applications perform data processing, such as business logic and calculations, in
addition to delivering information.
Often referred to as:
Services
Business Logic

Data Layer:

Web applications require data to work with.

Data can reside in databases or other information repositories.
This layer handles and implements different data sources of Information Systems.

3.1 Two-Layer Web Architecture

Description:

Presents the architecture in two layers:

1. Layer 1: Client platform hosting a web browser.
2. Layer 2: Server platform hosting all server software components.
Also referred to as client/server architecture.
The client sends requests directly to the server, which responds to these requests.
Requests can be static or dynamic.

Diagram:

Client ↔ Web/App Server ↔ Database

Includes services, static HTML, and dynamic HTML.

Advantages:

Inexpensive, as it operates on a single platform.

Disadvantages:

Interdependency (tight coupling) of components.

No redundancy.
Limited scalability.

Typical Applications:

Suitable for 10–100 users.

Often used by small companies or organizations.

3.2 Three-Layer Web Architecture

Description:

Typically implemented with three layers:

Layer 1: Data
Layer 2: Application
Layer 3: Presentation
Additional mechanisms such as a Firewall for security and Proxies for caching can be
incorporated.

Diagram:

1. Data Layer:
DBMS (Database Management System)
Backend systems (e.g., Legacy Applications, Enterprise Information Systems)
2. Business Layer:
Application Server with business logic, connectors, personalization, and data access
3. Presentation Layer:
Client Interface
Includes a Firewall and Proxy for added functionality.

Advantages:

Improved performance.
Decreased coupling of software components.
Enhanced scalability.

Disadvantages:

Lack of redundancy.

Typical Applications:

Supports 100–1000 users.

Commonly used by small businesses or regional organizations, such as specialty retailers
or small colleges.

3.3 N-Layer Web Architecture

Description:

An extension of the three-layer architecture that introduces additional layers by:

Replication: Replicating the functionality of a layer.
Specialization: Specializing functions within a layer.

Examples:

Replication:
Application and data servers are duplicated to share the total workload.
Specialization:
 Specific servers handle designated parts of the workload based on their function.

Advantages:

Decoupling of software components.

Flexibility to add or remove platforms based on workload.
Improved scalability.
Redundancy to ensure reliability.

Disadvantages:

Higher costs due to maintenance, design, electrical load, and cooling requirements.

Typical Applications:

Designed for 1000+ users.

Suitable for large businesses or organizations.