COMP 529 Software Architecture - Fall 2007

[News] [Basic Information] [Description] [Reference Material] [Evaluation] [Projects] [Schedule]

News

[15 November 2007]	Final changes to the schedule. The final exam will be released on December 6 (am).
[20 September 2007]	Released description of Project 2.
[31 August 2007]	Released description of Project 1.
[15 June 2007]	Course outline and basic description of the project.
[13 June 2007]	The course schedule has changed to the 8:35-9:55 slot.

Basic Information

Instructor:	Martin Robillard
Time and place:	Tuesdays and Thursdays 8:35-9:55 in Trottier 0060.
Office hours:	Tuesday and Thursdays 10:00-11:00 or by appointment.
Credits:	4
TA:	Barthélémy Dagenais (bart at cs dot mcgill dot ca)
TA availability:	Tuesday 11:30-12:30; Thursday 13:00-14:00 in Trottier 3106

Description

Overview

Very little software is actually written from scratch. Instead, software projects usually rely on existing libraries, frameworks, and components. Such building blocks must be carefully integrated to ensure that the resulting applications are robust and maintainable. The necessity to integrate, reuse, and maintain large collections of software components has led to important challenges for computer scientists and engineers which, in turn, resulted in the elaboration of various component models and integration mechanisms. This course will address issues of large-scale software development usually referred to as "software architecture", including architectural design and documentation, component models and technologies, software product lines, frameworks, and aspect-oriented programming.

Learning Outcomes

To understand the factors and issues that come into play in the development of large-scale software systems.
To understand the concepts, terminology, and notation of various component models.
To understand a variety of integration mechanisms used to build large scale systems, and to apply the mechanisms in a concrete situation.
To be able to clearly document non-trivial software architectures.
To evaluate and discuss the properties of different software architectures.
To know about a number of innovative approaches to software architecture as proposed by the research community.

Course Format

The course format will include traditional lectures, in-class workshops, and two projects.

NOTE: This course is an informal prerequisite for graduate students who would like to take my seminar course on software evolution in the winter term.

Reference Material

Course Textbook

I. Gorton. Essential Software Architecture. Springer, 2006.
Copies will be available at the Paragraphe Bookstore. A copy is also in reserve at the Schulich Library.

Additional References

Note that some of the free on-line resources may only be available from within the McGill domain.

[MCB2007] M. McBride. The Software Architect. Communications of the ACM, 50(5):75-81, May 2007.

[CBB2003] P. Clements et al. Documenting Software Architectures: Views and Beyond. Addison Wesley Professional, 2003.

[BCK2003] L. Bass, P. Clements, R. Kazman. Software Architecture in Practice, Second Edition. Addison Wesley Professional, 2003.

[IEEE1471] IEEE Recommended Practice for Architectural Description of Software-Intensive Systems, IEEE Std 1471-2000.

[ALB2003] S.T. Albin. The Art of Software Architecture. Wiley, 2003.

[SEI2007] The Software Engineering Institute's Software Architecture Website.

[SERadio] The Software Engineering Radio Podcast.

Evaluation

Midterm exam	20%
Class participation	10%
Project 1 (Integration)	20%
Project 2 (Case study)	20%
Final exam	30%

A mark of 50% or more for each project is required to pass the course, irrespective of the total final mark.

The following material is subject to evaluation: Anything I said in class, anything that is part of the learning objectives for the in-class workshops, material found in the mandatory reading, and any general knowledge related to the project objectives.

Academic Integrity: McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore all students must understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offenses under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see http://www.mcgill.ca/integrity for more information).

Projects

There will be two projects for this class. In the first project, you will study how to integrate existing components. In the second project, you will prepare a case study of the architecture of an existing system.

Schedule

This schedule is subject to change. It is strongly recommended to do the readings before class. Reading in italics are optional.

Date Lecture Topics Reading Projects

Tuesday 4 Sep Introduction to Software Architecture Gorton, c. 1-2; [MCB2007]

Thursday 6 Sep Quality Attributes Gorton, c.3; [BCK2003], c.4-5

Tuesday 11 Sep Architectural Mismatch (introduction) [GAO1995] Project groups complete

Thursday 13 Sep Software Components Handouts; Gorton, 4.1,4.2,5.1

Tuesday 18 Sep Java Beans [JavaBeans Spec] Email project overview to TA (by 23:59)

Thursday 20 Sep Architectural Mismatch (solutions) [BCK2003], 18.2

Tuesday 25 Sep Documenting Software Architectures Gorton, c.6; [BCK2003], c.6,9

Thursday 27 Sep Workshop None

Tuesday 2 Oct Frameworks: Principles and Challenges None

Thursday 4 Oct Eclipse and OSGi Eclipse Platform Technical Overview; About the OSGi Service Platform

Tuesday 9 Oct No class (Monday classes scheduled today)

Thursday 11 Oct Eclipse Plug-In Architecture Notes on the Eclipse Plug-In Architecture

Tuesday 16 Oct Introduction to Middleware-based Architectures Gorton, c.4

Thursday 18 Oct Middleware-based Architectures (discussion) [ICG2007]

Tuesday 23 Oct Midterm None

Thursday 25 Oct Enterprise and Web Applications Gorton, 5.2, 5.3

Tuesday 30 Oct MVC and the Spring Framework (lecture by B. Dagenais)

Thursday 1 Nov Software Product Lines Gorton, c.9

Tuesday 6 Nov Aspect-Oriented Programming Gorton, c. 10; [LAD2002], [EFB2001]

Thursday 8 Nov Aspect-Oriented Programming [SCH2004], [AspectJ] Project 1 Due (by 23:59)

Tuesday 13 Nov Architectural Conformance: JMantlet [BR2006]

Thursday 15 Nov Architectural Conformance: Fragments [FGS2006]

Tuesday 20 Nov Architectural Conformance: ArchJava [ACN2001]

Thursday 22 Nov Architectural Recovery: DiscoTect [YGS2004]

Tuesday 27 Nov Student Presentations

Thursday 29 Nov Student Presentations

Friday 30 Nov

Tuesday 4 Dec No class Project 2 Due (by 23:59)

[MCB2007]	M. McBride. The Software Architect. Communications of the ACM, 50(5):75-81, May 2007.
[CBB2003]	P. Clements et al. Documenting Software Architectures: Views and Beyond. Addison Wesley Professional, 2003.
[BCK2003]	L. Bass, P. Clements, R. Kazman. Software Architecture in Practice, Second Edition. Addison Wesley Professional, 2003.
[IEEE1471]	IEEE Recommended Practice for Architectural Description of Software-Intensive Systems, IEEE Std 1471-2000.
[ALB2003]	S.T. Albin. The Art of Software Architecture. Wiley, 2003.
[SEI2007]	The Software Engineering Institute's Software Architecture Website.
[SERadio]	The Software Engineering Radio Podcast.

Date	Lecture Topics	Reading	Projects
Tuesday 4 Sep	Introduction to Software Architecture	Gorton, c. 1-2; [MCB2007]
Thursday 6 Sep	Quality Attributes	Gorton, c.3; [BCK2003], c.4-5
Tuesday 11 Sep	Architectural Mismatch (introduction)	[GAO1995]	Project groups complete
Thursday 13 Sep	Software Components	Handouts; Gorton, 4.1,4.2,5.1
Tuesday 18 Sep	Java Beans	[JavaBeans Spec]	Email project overview to TA (by 23:59)
Thursday 20 Sep	Architectural Mismatch (solutions)	[BCK2003], 18.2
Tuesday 25 Sep	Documenting Software Architectures	Gorton, c.6; [BCK2003], c.6,9
Thursday 27 Sep	Workshop	None
Tuesday 2 Oct	Frameworks: Principles and Challenges	None
Thursday 4 Oct	Eclipse and OSGi	Eclipse Platform Technical Overview; About the OSGi Service Platform
Tuesday 9 Oct	No class (Monday classes scheduled today)
Thursday 11 Oct	Eclipse Plug-In Architecture	Notes on the Eclipse Plug-In Architecture
Tuesday 16 Oct	Introduction to Middleware-based Architectures	Gorton, c.4
Thursday 18 Oct	Middleware-based Architectures (discussion)	[ICG2007]
Tuesday 23 Oct	Midterm	None
Thursday 25 Oct	Enterprise and Web Applications	Gorton, 5.2, 5.3
Tuesday 30 Oct	MVC and the Spring Framework (lecture by B. Dagenais)
Thursday 1 Nov	Software Product Lines	Gorton, c.9
Tuesday 6 Nov	Aspect-Oriented Programming	Gorton, c. 10; [LAD2002], [EFB2001]
Thursday 8 Nov	Aspect-Oriented Programming	[SCH2004], [AspectJ]	Project 1 Due (by 23:59)
Tuesday 13 Nov	Architectural Conformance: JMantlet	[BR2006]
Thursday 15 Nov	Architectural Conformance: Fragments	[FGS2006]
Tuesday 20 Nov	Architectural Conformance: ArchJava	[ACN2001]
Thursday 22 Nov	Architectural Recovery: DiscoTect	[YGS2004]
Tuesday 27 Nov	Student Presentations
Thursday 29 Nov	Student Presentations
Friday 30 Nov
Tuesday 4 Dec	No class		Project 2 Due (by 23:59)