Designing for Deployment

The successful deployment of an application should be one of the first design considerations, not the last. Once you know the basic functionality of an application, you should create a separate architecture sketch for the application as deployed into your customer base.

Deployment architecture specification details should include:

• Types of clients

• Types of server hardware and OS platforms

• Available Database Management Systems (DBMSs)

• Network configuration

• Expected number of users

• Expected volume of transactions

• Security requirements

Planning for deployment is not an idle exercise. Before your application “goes live” before a worldwide audience of thousands, you need to know that your application will continue to perform well as loads increase. You may code, configure, and test a prototype in a single-user high-performance development environment; then you need to assess the real-world requirements of the deployed application.

The following scenarios may suggest some areas for investigation.