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2 and 3 Tier Architecture. A Tier

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250 views5 pages

2 and 3 Tier Architecture. A Tier

Uploaded by

yash.sm
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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2 Tier Architecture

A 2 tier architecture refers to a software architecture in which a presentation


layer runs on a client and a data layer is available on a server. Separating these
two components into two different physical locations results in a two-tier
architecture, as opposed to a single-tier architecture. The application on the
client-side establishes a connection with the server in order to communicate
with the data layer. The server-side is responsible for providing query
processing and transaction management functionalities. On the client-side, the
user interface and application programs are run. The 2 tier architecture has two
tiers which are:

Client tier that represents the clients.

Data tier that holds the database server.

The diagram below shows a simple representation of a 2 tier architecture.

2 tier architecture

The 2 tier architecture has the following advantages:

Applications can be easily developed and deployed due to simplicity.


The database server and application logic is physically close, which offers
higher performance, provided the users are manageable.

On the other hand, the 2 tier architecture disadvantages are:

The performance of the application is degraded with increasing users. When


simultaneous client requests are made, application performance degrades
rapidly due to the fact that clients necessitate separate connections and
increased CPU memory.

Since the client holds most of the application logic, difficulties often arise in
controlling software versions and distributing new versions.

It’s often difficult to implement reliable security since users need to have
login information for every data server.

3 Tier Architecture
A 3 tier architecture refers to a software architecture in which the user
presentation interface, the business logic and the data storage server are
developed and maintained as independent modules on separate hardware
platforms. The client does not directly communicate with the database server.
Instead, the client interacts with an application server which further
communicates with the data tier which contains the database server that is used
for query processing and transaction management. The business tier serves as a
medium for the exchange for partially processed data between the database
server and the client. A three-tier architecture often allows any one of the three
tiers to be upgraded or replaced independently. The three tiers of this software
architecture are:

1. Presentation tier which represents the clients.

2. Business tier which acts as an intermediary for partially processed data.

3. Data tier which holds the database server.


The diagram below shows a simple representation of a 3 tier architecture.

3 tier architecture

The 3 tier architecture has the following advantages:

It can scale without degraded performance since no separate connections


from each client are not required.

There is improved data integrity because data corruption from client


applications can be eliminated by passing the data in the business tier for
validation.

It’s often easier to implement improved security since client applications


don’t have direct database access.

It’s possible to scale or change the implementation of a tier on its own


without affecting other tiers of the system.

On the other hand, 3 tier architecture disadvantages are:


There is increased complexity of implementation as the communication
points are increased (presentation tier to business tier to the data tier,
instead of direct client tier to data tier communication).

The 2 and 3 tier architectures are very common in software development. Both
are advantageous and disadvantageous in various ways. However, the 3 tier
architecture is generally regarded to be better than the 2 tier architecture.

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