Practical Software Architecture: Moving from System Context to Deployment

Chapter 1. Case Study

I only solve the toughest of cases. Bring it on!

Life without context is like a boat without sails. Context helps us focus on the work at hand; it gives us a sense of direction and a reason to achieve something worthwhile! Architecture, as it applies to the fields of information technology (IT) and computer engineering, also needs a reason for existence. It cries out loud to be instantiated, to be fulfilled, to see itself being realized—contributing to solve real-world problems.

In this chapter, I describe a fictitious case study to illustrate a problem statement. And although I will make no such claim, don’t be surprised if you happen to bump into a similar challenge in the real world! A case study that describes a real-world ...