Hardware Architecture

Definitions

Hardware Architecture

an architecture that captures architectural decisions about the hardware

Responsibilities

The typical responsibilities of a Hardware Architecture are to:

• Document choices about hardware components and their vendors.
• Document decisions about how hardware components are to be connected into an overall hardware structure.
• Document choices about how hardware components will support quality requirements (e.g., scalability).

Contents

The typical contents of a hardware architecture are:

• TBD:
  • TBD.

Stakeholders

The typical stakeholders of a Hardware Architecture are:

• Producers:
  • Architecture Team
• Evaluators:
  • Architecture Evaluation Team
  • Customer Organization, which evaluates the architecture for feasibility and appropriateness
• Approvers:
  • Technical Leader
  • Project Manager
  • Customer Representative
• Maintainers:
  • Architecture Team
• Users:
  • Hardware Development Team

Phases

A hardware architecture typically is produced during the following phases:

• Business Strategy: Not Applicable
• Business Optimization: Not Applicable
• Initiation: Started
• Construction: Completed
• Delivery: Maintained
• Usage: Maintained
• Retirement: Archived

Preconditions

A hardware architecture typically can be started if the following preconditions hold:

• The initiation phase is started.
• The architecture team has been staffed and trained in architecting.

Inputs

The typical inputs to a hardware architecture include:

• Work Products:
  • System Requirements Specification
• Stakeholders:
  • TBD

Guidelines

• TBD.

Conventions

A hardware architecture is typically constrained by the following conventions:

• Work Flow
• Content and Format Standard
• Inspection Checklist

Examples

• Single Hardware Component Distribution Architecture
• Client/Server Distribution Architecture
• N-Tier Distribution Architecture