information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system ...

, high-availability application architecture is a process followed when implementing a new

application Application may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks ** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...

into an existing business-wide

computer system A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ( computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These prog ...

or ERP while minimizing

downtime The term downtime is used to refer to periods when a system is unavailable. The unavailability is the proportion of a time-span that a system is unavailable or offline. This is usually a result of the system failing to function because of an ...

. ff The architecture contains three stages:

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development hell, when a project is stuck in development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting *Development (music), the process thematic material is reshaped *Photographi ...

, quality assurance, and

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

Definition

In the above definition, ''

high availability High availability (HA) is a characteristic of a system which aims to ensure an agreed level of operational performance, usually uptime, for a higher than normal period. Modernization has resulted in an increased reliance on these systems. F ...

'' is "a design and implementation that ensures a certain degree of operational continuity",{{Cite web , url=http://www.slideshare.net/davemitz/7-stages-of-scaling-web-applications , title = 7 Stages of Scaling Web Applications, date = 2008-08-06 and ''

application architecture In information systems, applications architecture or application architecture is one of several architecture domains that form the pillars of an enterprise architecture (EA). An applications architecture describes the behavior of applications u ...

'' refers to the actual concept and design of implementing a new configuration into the particular system.

Summary

In the IT world minimizing downtime is very important, and in order to implement a new configuration into an existing computer system one must follow strict architectural guidelines before releasing the new configuration into production. Following the application architecture guidelines will greatly reduce the potential downtime when implementing a new configuration into an existing system.

Stages of architecture

There are three stages that an application must go through before it "goes live." Each of these stages must pass through the ''transport directory'' before going on to the next stage.

Development

The development stage is where

program Program, programme, programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program management, the process of managing several related projects * Time management * Program, a part of planning Arts and entertainment Audio * Programm ...

changes, and configuration settings are modified to meet the needs of the new or existing system.

Quality assurance

During the quality assurance stage the configuration settings, and program changes that impact the application are tested. If any faults are detected, they are corrected during this stage.

Production

The final stage that the application enters is the production stage, which entails the actual system that a company runs its business on.

Transport directory

The transport directory serves as a

compiler In computing, a compiler is a computer program that translates computer code written in one programming language (the ''source'' language) into another language (the ''target'' language). The name "compiler" is primarily used for programs that ...

for all of the changes to the application that occur through the stages. This component is the mechanism that allows the changes to be tracked from stage to stage. When the application is released for production, it will be delivered out of the transport directory.

References

Information technology management