Competency: Developing System

Infrastructure Design
Presenter: Asnake Bogale
June. 2024

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Learning outcomes(LO)
1. LO1. Specify architecture requirements
2. LO2. Specify hardware and software
3. LO3. Conduct walk-through and compare/ contrast
expected performance
4. LO4. Document and report on findings

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Concept of ICT infrastructure
The ICT infrastructure enables to share the ICT
capabilities which provide services for other
systems of the organization (Broadbenta et al,
1999).
The ICT capabilities require the complex combination of
 the technical infrastructure (cabling infrastructure,
hardware platform, base software platform)
 ICT shared services (as communications services), ICT
applications (as WEB services),
 the human operators and the managerial expertise to
guarantee reliable services (see figure 1)
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Cont…

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Cont…
All these resources are designed, developed and managed
over time. In our system ICT infrastructure does not
include the specific computer applications, but the
teachers or other users should experience and innovate
using specific computer applications on the ICT
infrastructure.

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LO1: Specify Architecture Requirements
Understanding architecture requirements

What is architecture?
Architecture is from the Latin word architectura, which is
formed from the words for architect. Depending on the
context, architecture can refer to:
☑ any man-made building or structure
☑the flow of information on a Web page
☑ the planned design of any kind of system
☑ a systematic arrangement of information or ideas

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Cont…
The term architecture can refer to either hardware or
software, or to a combination of hardware and software.
The architecture of a system always defines its broad
outlines, and may define precise mechanisms as well.
The architecture is a distributed application that is a
sketch of the different programs, describing which
programs are running on which hosts, what their
responsibilities are, and what protocols determine the
ways in which different parts of the system talk to one
another.
Architecture focuses on how the major elements and
components within an application are interact with, other
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Various organizations define systems architecture in different ways, including:
The fundamental organization of a system, embodied in its
components, their relationships to each other and to the
environment, and the principles governing its design and
evolution.
A representation of a system, including a mapping of
functionality onto hardware and software components, a
mapping of the software architecture onto the
hardware architecture, and human interaction with these
components.
An allocated arrangement of physical elements which
provides the design solution for a consumer product or life-
cycle process intended to satisfy the requirements of the
functional architecture and the requirements baseline. 8
Cont…
Architecture comprises the most important, pervasive, top-level,
strategic inventions, decisions, and their associated rationales about
the overall structure (i.e., essential elements and their relationships)
and associated characteristics and behavior.
A description of the design and contents of a computer system. If
documented, it may include information such as a detailed inventory of
current hardware, software and networking capabilities; a description
of long-range plans and priorities for future purchases, and a plan for
upgrading and/or replacing dated equipment and software.
A formal description of a system, or a detailed plan of the system at
component level to guide its implementation.
The composite of the design architectures for products and their life-
cycle processes
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Key characteristics of an architecture requirement

It should include the reasoning or motivations behind the

change.
It should explain why the existing components are
inadequate, limiting or constraining
It should outline the available options for future
architectures that address all concerns.
It should explain the benefits, value, risks,
costs, opportunities, constraints, and future
options associated with each alternative.
It should outline any alternative routes to close the gaps
and get from the current to the target architecture.
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Database architecture is logically divided into 4 types.
a)One Tier

It has one-tier architecture. If your application is running

on two computers for instance, a typical Web CGI
application that runs on a Web browser (client) and a Web
server

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Cont…

b)Two-tier system
Two-tier Client / Server architecture is used for User
Interface program and Application Programs that runs on
client side. An interface called ODBC (Open Database
Connectivity) provides an API that allows client side
program to call the DBMS.
You have a client program and a server program. The
main difference between the two is that the server
responds to requests from many different clients, while
the clients usually initiate the requests for information
from a single server

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Cont...

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Cont…
C)Three-tier Client / Server Architecture

Three-tier Client/Server database architecture is
commonly used architecture for web applications.
Intermediate layer called Application server or Web
Server stores the web connectivity software and the
business logic (constraints) part of application used to
access the right amount of data from the database server.
This layer acts like medium for sending partially
processed data between the database server and the
client.
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Cont…

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 Cont…
d)N-tier architecture
N-tier architecture, on the other hand, allows an
unlimited number of programs to run simultaneously,
send information to one another, use different protocols
to communicate, and interact concurrently. This allows
for a much more powerful application, providing many
different services to many different clients.

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Cont…

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 1.2 Identify the scope of the system

System Scope describes the current systems that the required application
package is expected to replace or interface with. The description contains a table
that describes the functionality of each system, and relates systems to business
activities.
Databases
A database is a collection of organized information so that it can easily be
accessed, managed, and updated. A database management system is a suite of
software applications that together make it possible for people or businesses to
store, modify, and extract information from a database.
Applications
Application software is the name given to a program or group of the programs
designed for end-users (perform specific tasks for end-users). Example: database
programs, word processors, and antivirus programs are all applications.

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Cont…
Servers
A Server is a computer program that manages access to a centralized
resource such as file, printer, and user group as well as network
traffic on the network or provide services to client software running
on other computers (and their users) in the same domain (in a
network).
A single server machine can have several different server software
packages running on it, thus providing many different services to
clients on the network.
There are many different types of servers:
Application Servers
Message Servers
FTP Servers
Mail Servers
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 cont…
Proxy Servers
Web Servers
File server
Print server
Database server
Backup server
DHCP server
DNS Server

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cont…
Application server allows a client on the network to access
and use extra computing power. Application server is mainly
used for the security.
Message server includes Chat servers that enable a large
number of users to exchange information in the network.
Mail server store and handles mail message over in the
networks (via LANs) and across the Internet (via WANs).
A Proxy server is a server that can be sitting between the
server and the client. When any request is coming, client pass
that request to the server, then server process that request
and send back to the client. Proxy server improves the
performance of the security by filtering the request.
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Cont…
Web server provides the access to the internet using hypertext markup
language. A Web server get request from the web browser and send
back the response and associated HTML document.
File servers helps user to exchange data (read data, write data) as well
as manage shared files or it control and manage overall user access.
Print server control and manage printer resources over the network
and also it offer fax services. The print server allows multiple users to
access printer resources and fax services simultaneously.
Database servers manage the database using database management
system software. Client request is sent in the form of queries to the
server, then database server process the incoming client query, access
the stored data from the database and sent result back to the client.

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Cont…

A backup server responsible for backing up and

restoring files, folders, databases on a network in order
to prevent the loss of data in the event of a hard drive
failure, user error, disaster or accident.
A DHCP Server is used to assigns IP addresses to client
computers automatically. All IP addresses of all
computers are stored in a database that resides on a
server machine.
DNS Server is needed for resolving hostnames to their
IP addresses.

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Operating systems
An operating system (OS) is a collection of software that enables the computer
hardware to communicate and operate with the computer software.
The operating system is a vital component of the system software in a computer
system. Without operating system, a computer would be useless. Application
programs require an operating system to function.
Gateways
A network gateway is an internetworking system capable of joining together
two networks that use different base protocols. A network gateway can be
implemented completely in software, completely in hardware, or as a
combination of both.
A Gateway is - used between two dissimilar LAN s.
- required to convert Data packets from one protocol format to another Protocol
format.

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Cont…
Router and Gateway both are sometimes used
interchangeably but the difference is that Gateway
operates on 7th layer of the OSI Model and the Router
works on the 3rd layer of the OSI model.
The OSI Layer consists of:
1. Physical layer
2. Data Link
3. Network,(performs establishment of connection between
networks and the Routing and selecting best path)
4. Transport layer
5. Session layer
6. Presentation layer
7. Application Layer. (Provides semantic exchange of data between
application in an open system) 25
Application service provider
An application service provider (ASP) is a business that
provides computer-based services to customers over a network.
I.e. Application service provider is remote software that you
access through a web browser.
The goal of an application service provider is to reduce the cost
of software distribution and maintenance.
ISP
An Internet service provider (ISP) is an
organization/company that provides internet access to users or
subscribers of its service, usually for a fee.

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1.3. Understanding the System

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4. Realising

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summary

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1.2 Comparing Information related to current operational practices and strategic
plan to determine possible IT gap and improvement opportunities.
Compare information
An examination and comparison of the current strategic plan of the
organisation and their operational practices will enable an organisation
to highlight information technology gaps and improvement opportunities.
Current operational practices
The current operational practices of an organisation may include the
policies they have in place, the procedures they follow to complete tasks,
or the system they use to perform day–to–day processing. The system
used by the organisation may be a manual or paper–based system; a
computerised system that incorporates hardware, software and
networking capabilities; or a hybrid of the two: partially computerised
with some manual processes.

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Cont..
Examine current strategic plan
The strategic plan of an organisation sets out the goals a
business hopes to achieve within a specified period of time. It
also helps the organisation understand the environment
within which they operate and the market forces that affect
them.
Examination of the current strategic plan enables you to
understand the goals of your organisation and how those
goals will be achieved. The model followed in this resource
presents each critical issue with the following four elements:

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Table 3: four critical elements
.
Four elements of critical issues
 Strategic Analysis: lists SWOT elements to highlight a critical
issue
 Strategic Objective: the goal the organisation wants to achieve
 Performance Target: ‘To do’ list of what the organisation wants
to achieve
 Action Plan: Specific activities that enable the strategy to be
implemented

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IT gaps between current practices and future goals

By examining the current strategic plan and current practices

of the organisation, it may be possible to see some gaps. The
gaps may be in what the organisation currently does and what
they hope to do in the future. By identifying gaps, the
organisation may be able to determine improvement
opportunities.

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Table 4: Gap analysis
Example: Gap analysis
Objectives: To evaluate the current database functionality, to determine processing gaps.
Findings: An environmental analysis produced the following weaknesses and opportunities:
Weaknesses
 The database does not capture information about our suppliers or our purchasing patterns
from different suppliers.
 We are unable to adequately compare suppliers to see if we are getting the ‘best deal’ from
each of them.
Opportunities
 A new supplier has approached us with cheaper prices and loyalty discounts.
Implications: There is a gap between what the databases can currently do and what the
organisation would like it to be able to do. Currently, no supplier data is recorded in the
database and all information is kept manually. This makes comparison between different
suppliers difficult.
Recommendations (if required): The organisation must create and implement a strategic goal
that enables expansion of the database to incorporate new features.

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summary
By comparing current organisation practices with the strategic
plan, an organisation can highlight improvement opportunities.
Planning and implementation of those improvement
opportunities can then be started.

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1.3 Reporting information regarding the impact of IT developments to
appropriate person(s)
Reporting
Reporting is an important process that allows the appropriate personnel -
including line level management or higher management - to examine the
results from projects, surveys and research.
Types of reports
A report may contain all the details of a project you have been working on,
or surveys or research you have been conducting. Formal reporting may
include a formal presentation to senior management or a board of directors
about your outcomes, conclusions and recommendations. Alternatively, you
may need to prepare a gap analysis, which will be included in a larger
report. A gap analysis often has the findings of your examination, the
implications of the gap, and a recommendation for alignment.

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Cont…
Reports are a way of presenting a set of data in a specified format. There are many different types
and styles of report. They may be written reports, or presented verbally to a group of people,
management, a client or a board of directors. The following is a brief list of different types of reports:
 organisation policies and procedures
 feasibility report
 evaluation report
 recommendation report
 technical report
 research report
 business plans
 technical specifications
 user manuals
 strategic plans
 test plans
 user documentation
 Progress report.

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Summary
This resource has covered strategic planning, gap analysis and
reporting. This resource should have given you the ability to
recognise a strategic plan, to perform a comparison of business
strategy with business operations, and the capability to
determine IT gaps and improvement opportunities.

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