System Architecture: Strategy and Product Development for Complex Systems, First Edition

8.4 Home Data Network Architecture at Level 2

We now present the home data network architecture at Level 2, as an example of what this method of architectural analysis can produce. Recall that the solution-neutral function of this system is to buy a book, and the concept is to do so by accessing the Internet using a DSL modem. The integrated concept involves a dedicated DSL modem, an integrated gateway and switch, a WAP connected to the switch by Ethernet, and a laptop connected to the WAP by WiFi (Table 7.8). A Level 1 architecture is shown in Figure 7.12.

Figure 8.5 shows the architecture at Level 2, following the route of an IP packet sent from a laptop on the home network until it leaves the local network bound for some external server or ...