An analysis framework for understanding layered software architectures

This paper presents the results of an empirical study. The study aims at evaluating the ability to understand the coherence between design documents that describe the layered architecture of large scale systems, and the actual structure of the software source file organization. A clear set of objectives to be addressed for achieving a good understanding of a layered architecture is defined. The objectives are focused on identifying the interfaces between layers, in terms of cross-layer file dependencies. An analysis framework for achieving these objectives is proposed. The framework is applied to analyze the actual software architecture of 6 subsequent releases of a 15MLoc telecommunications product. Results of that experiment show that the framework can provide much insight on the actual implementation of a system with a layered architecture.