Syllabus for SSE 691

Software Architecture (Note: Effective Fall 2008, this course will become SSE 661. Also, there will be a new syllabus for Fall Semester 2008.)

Changes are possible.

Fall Semester 2006 (06F)

revised June 5, 2008 1:20 PM Eastern Time

Instructor: Dr. Paul E. MacNeil

Office:       Suite 223a, School of Engineering

Phone:       478-301-2185

                  478-301-2185

Email:        macneil_pe@mercer.edu

Textbooks and Supplies:

Texts (including web sites):

Software (including web sites):

• Note that this course is intended to be OS neutral.
• Netscape Communicator, Internet Explorer, or other recent Internet browser (Required, but your choice).
• An Internet ftp client of your choice.  Core FTP LE is free and works well http://www.coreftp.com/ .  (Required, but your choice)

Other Useful Resources (including web sites):

• http://www.aln.org for information about Asynchronous Learning Nets (ALNs), the educational method for this course.

Catalog Description (Course Purpose):

Special Topics

A course in software architectural design. All students will begin with a common core of software architectures and criteria for selecting them. Impact of software architectural choices on: availability, modifiability, performance, security, testability, and usability. Students will then select either real-time architectures or concurrent and distributed architectures for the remainder of the course.

Please note that this course is conducted *asynchronously* with regard to the face-to-face class meeting schedule. That is, the course begins on August 22, 2006, for *all* students, regardless of whether they are registered in the Macon, or Distance Learning section.

Course Objectives:

Breadth and Depth in Defining, Analyzing, and Solving Complex Problems:

• After successfully completing this course, you should be able to demonstrate a basic capability to appropriately select software archtitectures to solve complex problems.

Communicate Technical Aspects of the Solution for Complex Software Engineering Problems to a Technical Audience:

• After successfully completing this course, you should be able to demonstrate a basic ability to communicate software architecures and the rationale for their selection to a technical audience.

Prerequisites:

SSE 571 (formerly SSE 656) Java Design II or permission of the SSE Program Director based on your software development experience.

Class Location:

• The Macon face-to-face meetings take place in the Engineering Building Room 216b. (Directions to the Macon campus, and a map of the Macon campus can be found at  http://www2.mercer.edu/Admissions/macon.html and  http://www2.mercer.edu/BearWithUs/Parking/default.htm , respectively.)
• The Distance Learning asynchronous "meetings" take place in Cyberspace; i.e., on the Internet.

Grading:

More information TBD.

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Assignments:

• Purpose of projects:
• Use the projects to develop your capabilities, and
• Use the projects to demonstrate your capabilities.
• Deliverables for all projects:
• Your report should be a single, standalone document in .html or .doc format.
• Your report should be organized in such a way as to make the topics that you want credit for covering easy to find, and demonstrate your capabilities clearly and convincingly. Everything you want considered for credit, including code and tests if any, should be included in the report.
• You may include other material outside of the report, if you wish, but this material may or may not be considered in evaluating your work.
• For each capability that you demonstrate within a report or major section of that report, you may present only the final result of your work; you need not demonstrate every step in the development of that result.
• Project 1(Solo)
• Pick an architectural pattern from chapter 2 of Buschmann et al., and develop (program, test, and demonstrate) an implementation of that pattern.
  • Implementation of some patterns make take some ingenuity. For example, the Microkernel architectural pattern is frequently used in designing operating systems. However, design and implementation of an operating system is well beyond the scope of this course. However, you can build something less that is less than an operating system but is none-the-less based on your chosen design pattern(s).
• Project 2 (Solo)
• Pick a system and apply the Architecture Tradeoff Analysis Method (ATAM) and the Cost Benefit Analysis Method (CBAM) for that system.
• Your project may involve designing an architecture and prototyping at least some of itl, performing an ATAM and a CBAM, or both.
• You will have to make compromises and simplifying assumptions. Please identify them, consider them carefully (Is what you are doing about the best that you could do under the circumstances?), and document them.
• Project 3 (Team)
• Design your own software architectural project..
• Your project may involve designing an architecture and prototyping at least some of itl, performing an ATAM and a CBAM, or both.
• Implementation Language(s)
• Java, C#, or C++

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Additional Information:

• Asynchronous Learning Nets (ALNs)
• Self Study: You study the texts and any other course study material on your own.
• Collaborative Projects: After your self-study, you collaborate (via the Internet [email, ftp]) with your partner(s) to produce a team product. Your collaborative work is substantial, asynchronous, and rapid.

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• Subscribe to the course email listserv and be able to access our FTP server; your professor can tell you how to do this.
• Study the assigned material.
• Write and read email messages about ideas, problems and solutions to do with the assigned study material.
• Do the assigned exercises.
• Write and read email messages (to/from the listserv) about ideas, problems and solutions to do with the assigned homework.
• Review the exercises done by other people, as assigned by the professor.

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Changes to this Syllabus:

There will be changes to this syllabus, so check back frequently, and don't forget to hit "Reload" or "Refresh".

Schedule of Events and Assignments:

Notes:

tbd

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Schedule of Macon Face-to-face Class Meetings:

attendance is 100% optional.

All Macon face-to-face meetings are from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

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List of all courses.

Contact Information

• My Name: Dr. Paul E. MacNeil (Atlanta, Macon and DL Section)
• My E-mail: macneil_pe@mercer.edu .
• My Office Phone: 478 301-2185
• My FAX: 478 301-2732
• US Mail:
 
• Dr. Paul E. MacNeil
• School of Engineering
• Mercer University
• 1400 Coleman Ave.
• Macon, GA 31207

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Important Additional Information:
Students requiring accommodations for a disability should inform the instructor at the close of the first class meeting or as soon as possible.  If you are not registered with Disability Services, the instructor will refer you to the Disability Support Services office for consultation regarding documentation of your disability and eligibility for accommodations under the ADA/504.  In order to receive accommodations, eligible students must provide each instructor with a “Faculty Accommodation Form” from Disability Services.  Students must return the completed and signed form to the Disability Services Coordinator on the 3rd floor of the Connell Student Center.  Students with a documented disability who do not wish to use academic accommodations are also strongly encouraged to register with Disability Services and complete a Faculty Accommodation Form each semester.  For further information, please contact Carole Burrowbridge, Disability Services Coordinator, at 301-2778 or visit the website at http://www.mercer.edu/stu_support/swd.htm

Accreditation: Mercer University is accredited by SACS.