Bachelor of Information

Technology
Middleware Architecture
IT6505
Teacher’s Notes
Lesson 03

Viraj Brian Wijesuriya

University of Colombo School of Computing
No. 35, Reid Avenue , Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.
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IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

A Typical Business System

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IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

Moving to e-
e-Business

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IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

After Adding Interfaces

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 IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

Problems with this Architecture

1. The business process flow from order entry through distribution to the billing must
be controlled
– Order-tracking system?
– Order cancellations
– Product Returns

2. Quality of Data Needs to be improved

– Many copies of one piece of information
– Product or Customer data duplicated on multiple databases

3. Existing Application needs to be opened up to additional end-user devices

– Also be able to be cross-functional: start order on web server and finish entering it over
telephone

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 IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

Question 1
• In the previous slide we identified several problems
(3) with the example ‘typical business system’. Name
three other IT management concerns of this system.
– Keeping Costs Down

– Finding skilled staff

– Making applications more responsive to change – build

for the future

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 IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

Importance of IT Architecture
• IT architecture identifies the components of a given problem, shows relationships
among them and defines the terminology, rules and constraints on the relation
and components.

• Makes a conducive environment for proper integration of components.

• Main purpose of defining an architecture is to try to impose order of chaos or

potential chaos.

• Architecture is an essential first step to orderly solutions to problems.

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 IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

Typical IT Architecture

The key to tying the parts together is the Large Rectangle: Integration Infrastructure.

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 IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

Integration Infrastructure
• Describes the HW and SW required to make the connections

• It makes no specific assumptions about the physical deployment.

• Three approaches: Bus, Hub, (Bus + Hub) Connections

Bus Connection Hub Connection

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 IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

Question 2
• The difference between a vertical connection and a horizontal
connection? Which of the two types are favored with a Bus
connection?
– Vertical connection refers to the connection of the different layers in a
multitiered architectures across multiple machines.

– In principle, each layer is implemented on a different machine.

– Horizontal connection deals with the connection of a single layer across

multiple machines, such as distributing a single database.

– A Bus connection favours Vertical connections (Connecting Presentation

and Application Layers)

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 IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

What is Middleware? (1)

• Hardware and software is needed to make connections between
– Presentation and applications
– Applications and applications

• A critical component of this software content is Middleware

• Simple definition:
– “Software that is necessary in practice to build distributed
applications”

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 IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

What is Middleware? (2)

• Do applications have to be distributed?

• Middleware can be easily used to integrate applications in one

machine.
– Testing purposes
– Building applications that might be distributed later

• Important Characteristic: Software that is capable of

operating over a network
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 IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

Question 3
• What is the distinction between the Operating System and the Middleware?
– The distinction between operating system and middleware functionality is, to
some extent, arbitrary.
– Core kernel functionality can only be provided by the operating system itself.
– Middleware provides a set of specific features for a given problem domain.
– Usually, middleware sits between the Operating System and the Application
Layer.
– However, some functionality previously provided by separately sold
middleware is now integrated in operating systems. A typical example is the
TCP/IP stack for telecommunications, nowadays included in virtually every
operating system.

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 IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

Taxonomy Of Middleware
• There are two major categories: integration type and application type.

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 IT6505 – IT Architecture and Middleware

Lesson Summary
• Quality of Data Needs to be improved in Systems we design.

• Main goal of IT architecture is to try to impose order of chaos or

potential chaos.

• Integration infrastructure describes the HW and SW required to make

the connections.

• Middleware: Software that is necessary in practice to build distributed

applications.

• Software should be capable of operating over a network.

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