1 CS 501 Spring 2005 CS 501: Software Engineering Lecture 14 System Architecture and Design 2
2 CS 501 Spring 2005 Administration
3 CS 501 Spring 2005 Data Intensive Systems: Merger of Two Banks Each bank has a database with its customer accounts. The databases are used by staff at many branches and for back-office processing. The requirement is to integrate the two banks so that they appear to the customers to be a single organization and to provide integrated service from all branches. This is an example of working with legacy systems.
4 CS 501 Spring 2005 Merger of Two Banks: Options ??? A B
5 CS 501 Spring 2005 Merger of Two Banks: Architectural Options I.Convert everything to System A convert databases retrain staff enhance System A (software and hardware) discard System B II.Build an interface between the databases in System A and System B III.Extend client software so that it can interact with either System A or System B database
6 CS 501 Spring 2005 Architectural Styles An architectural style is system architecture that recurs in many different applications. See: Mary Shaw and David Garlan, Software architecture: perspectives on an emerging discipline. Prentice Hall, 1996
7 CS 501 Spring 2005 Coupling and Cohesion Coupling is a measure of the dependencies between two subsystems. If two systems are strongly coupled, it is hard to modify one without modifying the other. Cohesion is a measure of dependencies within a subsystem. If a subsystem contains many closely related functions its cohesion is high. An ideal breakdown of a complex system into subsystems has low coupling between subsystems with high cohesion within subsystems.
8 CS 501 Spring 2005 Architectural Style: Repository Repository Input components Transactions Example: A digital library Advantages: Flexible architecture for data-intensive systems. Disadvantages: Difficult to modify repository since all other components are coupled to it.
9 CS 501 Spring 2005 Architectural Style: Repository with Storage Access Layer Data Store Input components Transactions Advantages: Data Store subsystem can be changed without modifying any component except the Storage Access. Storage Access This is sometimes called a "glue" layer Repository
10 CS 501 Spring 2005 Architectural Style: Model/Controller/View Model Controller View Example: An unmanned aircraft Controller: Sends control signals to the aircraft and receives instrument readings. Model: Translates data received from and sent to the aircraft into a model of flight performance. It uses domain knowledge about the aircraft and flight. View: Displays information about the aircraft to the user.
11 CS 501 Spring 2005 Architectural Style: Pipe Example: A three-pass compiler Parser Lexical analysis Code generation Output from one subsystem is the input to the next.
12 CS 501 Spring 2005 Distributed Computing: General Problem An application that is running on one computer wishes to use data or services provided by another: Network connection private, public, or virtual private network location of firewalls Protocols point-to-point, multicast, broadcast message passing, RPC, distributed objects stateful or stateless Performance quality of service
13 CS 501 Spring 2005 Architectural Style: Client/Server Example: the Web Firefox client Apache server The control flows in the client and the server are independent. communication between client and server follows a protocol. In a peer-to-peer architecture, the same component acts as both a client and a server.
14 CS 501 Spring 2005 Network Choices Public Internet: Ubiquitous -- worldwide Low cost Private network: Security / reliability Predictable performance Choice of protocols (not constrained to TCP/IP)
15 CS 501 Spring 2005 Quality of Network Services Criteria in choosing a system architecture Performance Maximum throughput Latency Variations in throughput Real-time media (e.g., audio) Business Suppliers, cost Trouble shooting and maintenance
16 CS 501 Spring 2005 Firewall Public network Private network Firewall A firewall is a computer at the junction of two network segments that: Inspects every packet that attempts to cross the boundary Rejects any packet that does not satisfy certain criteria, e.g., an incoming request to open a TCP connection an unknown packet type Firewalls provide security at a loss of flexibility and a cost of system administration.
17 CS 501 Spring 2005 Distributed Data two copies of the same data
18 CS 501 Spring 2005 Distributed Data and Replication Distributed Data Data is held on several computer systems. A transaction may need to assemble data from several sources. Replication Several copies of the data are held in different locations. Mirror: Complete data set is replicated Cache: Dynamic set of data is replicated (e.g., most recently used) With replicated data, the biggest problems are concurrency and consistency.
19 CS 501 Spring 2005 Distributed Computing: Searching User interface server User Databases This is an example of a multicast protocol. The primary difficulty is to avoid troubles at one site degrading the entire system (e.g., every transaction cannot wait for a system to time out). Broadcast Searching
20 CS 501 Spring 2005 Distributed Computing: Stateless Protocol v. Stateful Stateless protocol Example: http Open connection Send message Return reply Close connection State in http must be sent with every message (e.g., as parameter string) Cookies are a primitive way of retaining some state
21 CS 501 Spring 2005 Stateless Protocol v. Stateful Stateful (session) protocol Example: Z39.50 Open connection Begin session Interactive session End session Close connection Client and server remember the results of previous transactions (e.g., authentication, partial results) until session is closed.
22 CS 501 Spring 2005 Distributed Computing: UseNet This is an example of an epidemic protocol. Such protocols are especially useful in networks with intermittent connectivity, e.g., mobile computing. The biggest problem is ensuring that the data is distributed effectively.
23 CS 501 Spring 2005 Distributed Computing: The Domain Name System.edu server cornell.edu server cs.cornell.edu server First attempt to resolve
24 CS 501 Spring 2005 Distributed Computing: The Domain Name System.edu server cornell.edu server cs.cornell.edu server Better method 3 1 almaden.ibm.com cornell.edu ece.cmu.edu ibm.com acm.org.edu 2 Local cache local DNS server
25 CS 501 Spring 2005 Distributed Computing Domain Name System For details of the actual protocol read: Paul Mockapetris, "Domain Names - Implementation and Specification". IETF Network Working Group, Request for Comments: 1035, November
26 CS 501 Spring 2005 Time-Critical Systems A real time (time-critical) system is a software system whose correct functioning depends upon the results produced and the time at which they are produced. A soft real time system is degraded if the results are not produced within required time constraints A hard real time system fails if the results are not produced within required time constraints
27 CS 501 Spring 2005 Time-Critical System: Autonomous Land Vehicle Sensors GPS Sonar Laser Signal processing ModelControl signals Steer Throttle Controls
28 CS 501 Spring 2005 Time-Critical System: Routers and Other Network Computing Interoperation with third party devices Support for several versions of protocols Restart after total failure Defensive programming -- must survive => erroneous or malicious messages => extreme loads Time outs, dropped packets, etc. Evolution of network systems
29 CS 501 Spring 2005 Time Critical Systems: Web Server http message daemon spawned processes TCP port 80 The daemon listens at port 80 When a message arrives it: spawns a processes to handle the message returns to listening at port 80
30 CS 501 Spring 2005 Time-Critical System: Software Development Developers of advanced time-critical software spend almost all their effort developing the software environment: Monitoring and testing -- debuggers Crash restart -- component and system-wide Downloading and updating Hardware troubleshooting and reconfiguration etc., etc., etc.
31 CS 501 Spring 2005 Software Considerations of System Architectures In some types of system architecture, non-functional requirements of the system may dictate the software design and development process.
32 CS 501 Spring 2005 Software Considerations of System Architectures: Performance Resource considerations may dictate software design and implementation: Low level language (e.g., C) where programmer has close link to machine Inter-process communication may be too slow (e.g., C fork). May implement special buffering, etc., to control timings
33 CS 501 Spring 2005 Performance: CD Controller for Automobile Input block Output block Circular buffer
34 CS 501 Spring 2005 Software Considerations of System Architectures: Multi-Threading Several similar threads operating concurrently: Re-entrant code -- separation of pure code from data for each thread May be real-time (e.g., telephone switch) or non-time critical The difficult of testing real-time, multi-threaded systems may determine the entire software architecture. Division into components, each with its own acceptance test.
35 CS 501 Spring 2005 Time-Critical System: Embedded Real-time Systems Software and hardware are combined to provide an integrated unit, usually dedicated to a specific task: Digital telephone Automobile engine control GPS Scientific instruments Seat bag controller The software may be embedded in the device in a manner that cannot be altered after manufacture.
36 CS 501 Spring 2005 Software Considerations: Embedded Real-time Systems Design of embedded systems requires close understanding of hardware characteristics Special purpose hardware requires special tools and expertise. Some functions may be implemented in either hardware of software (e.g., floating point unit) Design requires separation of functions Distinction between hardware and software may be blurred. Hardware v. Software
37 CS 501 Spring 2005 Software Considerations of System Architectures: Continuous Operation Many systems must operate continuously Software update while operating Hardware monitoring and repair Alternative power supplies, networks, etc. Remote operation These functions must be designed into the fundamental architecture. *