Architectural Jigsaw Patterns

Hongyan Sun and Anders P. Ravn

Department of Information Technology
Technical University of Denmark
Building 344, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark
Tel: (+45) 45933332
Fax: (+45) 45930074
Email: hs@it.dtu.dk and apr@it.dtu.dk

Abstract:

Jigsaw patterns , a graphical architecture description notation, will be presented in this paper. The jigsaw patterns shows components and connectors with their interfaces. Connectors are structures or objects implementing the interfaces. Components are structures interacting via the connectors. Each component and connector can be taken as a new system and decomposed. The semantics of the jigsaw patterns in terms of ML is also described. The application of this notation is illustrated by a case study ``3D-Med'' prototype system. The jigsaw patterns differs from other architecture description languages (ADLs) and supporting tools in that it focuses on the overall system structure, how subsystems interface and how they decompose further. Other ADLs and tools supports mainly the description and analysis of style-based components and their connections.

Keywords: Architecture descriptions, components, connectors, interfaces, jigsaw patterns, system decomposition.

Workshop Goals: Learning; networking; exchanging information, discussing new ideas.