Tiers and layers - integration

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.

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.

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).

Thanks guys! Glad we all agree

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

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,...)

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

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

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