Tiers and layers - integration

[Marcelo Ortega]

Tiers and layers - do I have an integration tier or integration layer?

At a high level, I have a 3-tier architecture consisting of client tier, web/business tier (middle tier) and data/resource tier (Oracle db and Inventory system).

The integration classes are basically another layer on the middle-tier (web/business tier). So it is integration "layer" right, no tier in this case, as that would be if I had a separate server used for integration. (my integration layer has mainly DAOs for ldap, email, WS access - no DAOs for database as I'm using an EntityManager in SessionFacade).

So the way I see it, I have 3 tiers and various layers on the middle tier, right?

Please clarify - I thought I had this nailed but obviously still have some degree of confusion.

[Vijaykumar Dixit]

Marcelo Ortega wrote:
The integration classes are basically another layer on the middle-tier (web/business tier). So it is integration "layer" right, no tier in this case, as that would be if I had a separate server used for integration. (my integration layer has mainly DAOs for ldap, email, WS access - no DAOs for database as I'm using an EntityManager in SessionFacade).

So the way I see it, I have 3 tiers and various layers on the middle tier, right?

Yes I agree with you. In my assignment I have a EmailService which abstracts communication with email service. It will be part of EAR deployed on app server, hence middle tier but I show it within integration layer in component diagram.

I think you are allright there.

[giuseppe fanuzzi]

I agree too! I'm doing exactly in your way!
Client tier, web&business tier (only one tier for both), integration tier (DAO for external systems and jpa for internal database).

[Marcelo Ortega]

Thanks guys! Glad we all agree

[Marcelo Ortega]

One more thing... The Inventory system "is" part of the data/resource tier, isn't it?

[giuseppe fanuzzi]

IMS is part of EIS tier. but i'm not showing a phisical EIS tier, but only nodes for every enterprise systems (db, ims, ldap,...)

[Marcelo Ortega]

Yep that would be a better name for it. Cool. Thanks,

[Luay Abdulraheem]

WS access DAO in both Class and Component diagram ? so which will be the WS client, the DAO or the Bean ?

[giuseppe fanuzzi]

A session bean uses the DAO, which is the webservice client, and i'm showing it both in the class and component diagram.