Architect Notes

Introduction

As an aspiring enterprise architect, I have leveraged my experience as a developer and solution architect to acquire the necessary skills. This section outlines my journey and the evolving perspectives I’ve gained along the way. By sharing my learnings, I hope to provide insights into the path a software engineer can take toward becoming an enterprise architect..

Every job role, from the most seemingly insignificant to the most high-profile, plays a vital part in the broader organizational ecosystem. Success is not solely measured by upward mobility, but also by the value one contributes to the organization. While climbing the corporate ladder can be a goal, it’s essential to maintain a holistic perspective and avoid becoming a mere cog in the machine, working tirelessly without understanding the bigger picture.

Understanding the bigger picture is often the missing piece for many. The time and dedication of software engineers, along with countless sleepless nights spent coding features that never make it to the final product, can never be reclaimed. This lost time and effort, along with the strained relationships, are irreplaceable. Poor skill management can ruin the lives of many team members.

Working in multiple organizations while running my part-time education institute has allowed me to gain a broader perspective on organizational dynamics. This experience has helped me appreciate how an organization functions as a whole and recognize the gaps in knowledge among managers and developers.

In this section, I will organize my learning to make it accessible for myself and provide valuable insights for others who read this page.

Mastering the Art of Minute Taking: Techniques and Importance

A meeting minutes can be taken with an AI tool with modern online team collaboration tools with required licenses. Then what is this article about? Why is it still important to know how to take meeting minutes and how it matters in the technology department? It is not only important to the technology department. But this article is about how this benefits the architecture review board office.

RTO/RPO

1. Can you explain what RTO and RPO are?

These two terms are often used during discussions of system resilience. Quantitative measures can be used to assess system resilience, which is frequently discussed in the context of Business Continuity Planning (BCP) and Disaster Recovery (DR). Rather than just knowing these terms, having a clear understanding is beneficial. Especially if you’re an architect, you may need to dive a little deeper to ensure you can facilitate discussions and avoid miscommunications.

Let’s deep dive

2. A business unit head saying the system is already in the cloud and inherently in got DR built in. So that’s why we don’t need to invest on additional DR. How do you clearly explain to the business unit head’s and clarify his misconceptions.

As a member of the architectural review board, I have likely reviewed hundreds of applications. Addressing this issue and noting it down to share is something I find worthwhile.

Do you like to know more on this topic. Deep dive.

RTO values and Meaning

RTO Value	Meaning	Examples
0-1 Hour	Critical systems that must be restored almost immediately to avoid severe business impact.	Financial transaction systems, real-time data processing.
1-4 Hours	Important systems that can tolerate short downtime but need to be restored quickly.	Customer service platforms, internal communication tools.
4-12 Hours	Systems that can endure moderate downtime without significant business disruption.	Inventory management systems, non-critical databases.
12-24 Hours	Systems that can be down for a day without major impact but should be restored within a business day.	Reporting tools, some HR systems.
24-48 Hours	Systems that can tolerate longer downtime and are less critical to immediate business operations.	Archival systems, non-essential applications.
48+ Hours	Non-critical systems that can be restored over a longer period without affecting business continuity.	Development environments, historical data archives.

RPO Values and Meaning

RPO Value	Meaning	Examples
0-1 Hour	Minimal data loss is acceptable; data must be backed up almost continuously.	Financial transaction logs, real-time data feeds.
1-4 Hours	Small amount of data loss is acceptable; frequent backups are required.	Customer order databases, email systems.
4-12 Hours	Moderate data loss is acceptable; regular backups are sufficient.	Inventory records, internal documentation.
12-24 Hours	Data can be lost for up to a day; daily backups are adequate.	Reporting data, some HR records.
24-48 Hours	Data can be lost for up to two days; less frequent backups are acceptable.	Archival data, non-critical applications.
48+ Hours	Significant data loss is acceptable; infrequent backups are sufficient.	Historical data archives, development logs.

System Availability

Availability Level	Downtime per Year	Downtime per Quarter	Downtime per Month	Downtime per Week	Downtime per Day	Downtime per Hour
90%	36.5 days	9 days	3 days	16.8 hours	2.4 hours	6 minutes
95%	18.25 days	4.5 days	1.5 days	8.4 hours	1.2 hours	3 minutes
99%	3.65 days	21.6 hours	7.2 hours	1.68 hours	14.4 minutes	36 seconds
99.5%	1.83 days	10.8 hours	3.6 hours	50.4 minutes	7.2 minutes	18 seconds
99.9%	8.76 hours	2.16 hours	43.2 minutes	10.1 minutes	1.44 minutes	3.6 seconds
99.95%	4.38 hours	1.08 hours	21.6 minutes	5.04 minutes	43.2 seconds	1.8 seconds
99.99%	52.6 minutes	12.96 minutes	4.32 minutes	60.5 seconds	8.64 seconds	0.36 seconds
99.999%	5.26 minutes	1.30 minutes	25.9 seconds	6.05 seconds	0.87 seconds	0.04 seconds

Architect Notes

Why RTO/RPO should be decoupled with SLA?

Decoupling Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) from System Availability Service Level Agreements (SLAs) is important for several reasons

Different Focus Areas:
- System Availability SLA: This focuses on the uptime and reliability of the system, ensuring that the system is operational and accessible for a specified percentage of time (e.g., 99.999%).
- RTO and RPO: These metrics are part of disaster recovery planning. RTO defines the maximum acceptable downtime after a disruption, while RPO defines the maximum acceptable data loss measured in time1.
Distinct Objectives:
- Availability SLA: Aims to minimize downtime during normal operations by ensuring high availability.
- RTO/RPO: Aim to minimize the impact of unexpected disruptions by defining recovery strategies and timelines.
Resource Allocation:
- Availability SLA: Requires investment in redundant systems, failover mechanisms, and continuous monitoring to ensure minimal downtime.
- RTO/RPO: Requires investment in backup solutions, disaster recovery plans, and regular testing to ensure quick recovery and minimal data loss.
Risk Management:
- Availability SLA: Manages risks related to system performance and uptime.
- RTO/RPO: Manages risks related to data integrity and recovery after a disaster.
Compliance and Business Continuity:
- Availability SLA: Ensures compliance with service expectations and contractual obligations regarding system uptime.
- RTO/RPO: Ensures compliance with business continuity and disaster recovery requirements, which may be mandated by industry regulations.

By decoupling these metrics, organizations can more effectively allocate resources and strategies to address both operational uptime and disaster recovery, ensuring a comprehensive approach to system reliability and resilience.

Does this help clarify the importance of decoupling these metrics? If you have more questions or need further details, feel free to ask!

Software/Application knowledge

Software/Application/Tools/Frameworks	Description
JBoss EAP	JBoss Enterprise Application Platform (JBoss EAP) is an open-source Java EE-based application server developed by Red Hat. It is designed for building, deploying, and hosting highly transactional Java applications and services.
Java SE	Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE) is a computing platform for developing and deploying Java applications on desktops and servers. It provides a robust, versatile, and secure environment for building applications that can run on various devices and operating systems.
MULE	Mule, developed by MuleSoft, is a lightweight enterprise service bus (ESB) and integration framework. It allows developers to connect applications, data, and devices quickly and efficiently, enabling seamless data exchange and integration across various systems.


Spring Boot	Spring Boot is an open-source framework designed to simplify the development of Spring-based applications. It is built on top of the Spring Framework and provides a streamlined way to create stand-alone, production-ready applications that you can just run.

Cyber Security

Acronym	Full Form
CIA	Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
IDS	Intrusion Detection System
IPS	Intrusion Prevention System
MFA	Multi-Factor Authentication
DLP	Data Loss Prevention
SIEM	Security Information and Event Management
SOC	Security Operations Center
APT	Advanced Persistent Threat
CISO	Chief Information Security Officer
IAM	Identity and Access Management
PKI	Public Key Infrastructure
SSL/TLS	Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security
VPN	Virtual Private Network
GDPR	General Data Protection Regulation
HIPAA	Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
FISMA	Federal Information Security Management Act
IR	Incident Response
TI	Threat Intelligence
EDR	Endpoint Detection and Response

Data Governance and Data Quality

Operational Considerations

Words for better Communications

There will be some delay	We will be pushing back, give the reason

Acronyms and Glossary

EA Architect – Acronyms and Glossary

Must know Port Numbers

Port Number	Service/Protocol
20	FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Data Transfer
21	FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Command Control
22	SSH (Secure Shell) / SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)
23	Telnet (Unencrypted text communications)
25	SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol)
53	DNS (Domain Name System)
80	HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)
110	POP3 (Post Office Protocol version 3)
143	IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol)
443	HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure)

Essential CIDR blocks that an architect should know.

CIDR Block	Description
/24	Represents 256 IP addresses. Commonly used for small to medium-sized networks.
/16	Represents 65,536 IP addresses. Often used for larger networks or organizations.
/8	Represents 16,777,216 IP addresses. Typically used by very large organizations or for special purposes.
/32	Represents a single IP address. Used for specifying individual hosts.

Comparison of Microsoft Power Platform Tools

Feature/Aspect	Power Apps	Power Automate	Copilot Studio	Power Pages
Purpose	Create custom applications	Automate repetitive tasks and workflows	Build and manage custom AI copilots	Design and publish professional websites
Primary Use Case	Tailored business solutions	Streamlining business processes	Automate business processes with AI	Create secure, data-driven web pages
Key Features	Low-code app development, integration with data	Workflow automation, AI flows, RPA	AI-driven task orchestration, agent capabilities	Drag-and-drop design, responsive templates
Target Users	Business users, developers	Business users, IT professionals	Developers, IT professionals	Web designers, developers
Integration	Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Azure	Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, third-party apps	Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft Graph	Microsoft Dataverse, external data sources
AI Capabilities	AI Builder for app enhancements	AI flows, AI recorder for RPA	Custom AI copilots with agent capabilities	GPT-powered bots for FAQs and interactions
Customization	High, with custom code and templates	High, with custom workflows and connectors	High, with custom AI logic and connectors	High, with custom design and data integration
Security	Enterprise-grade security and compliance	Secure data handling and process automation	Secure AI operations with guardrails	Secure web hosting and data management

Azure – 104 Notes

Managing Azure Identities and Governance [System Controller]

Implement and manage storage [Storage]

Deploy and manage Azure computer resources [Manage Conversion Storage]

Implemet and manage virtual networking [Transport Infra]

Monitor and maintain Azure resrouces [Sensor]

Case 1:

Goal : backup strategy to ensure data protection and recovery capabilities.

What is the first step in Azure ?

Createa a Recovery Services Vault[RSV].

What is RSV : Storage and management container.

What it stores : backup metadata, recovery point and configuratoin

What are the types : Vault : {Recovery Services vault , Backup vault}

When to create : Before – Define policies,register VM or trigger backupds.

Where : In Azure

How ?

Activity log : See recent operational events, such as VM Creation,updates, or deletions, across all virtual machines by applying resouce-type filters.

Alerts : Review threshold-based or dynamic warnings and incidents generated by rules across multiple VMs.

Metrics : Analyse performance indicators like CPU usage or disk IOPS across machines without pre-scoping a single VM.

Logs : Use powerful query-based investigation into sysem events,boot diagnostics, and application logs across all conected machines.

Workbooks : Access prebuilt dashboards and visualizations for multiple VMs, including performance trends and guest OS details.

Virtual machine host :

Underlying Azure Service Fabric that runs your virtual machine. Useful for tacking platform events like host failures or redeployments.

Guest operating system :

Installed OS (Windows/Linux) inside the VM. Monitor using agents to track logs, resource usage, and system health.

Workloads :

Critical background services (e.g., web servers, databases) that support application funtions. Reuired telemetry for performance and uptime.

Applications:

Frontend or business apps hosted on VMs, accessed by users. Requires monitoring for responsiveness, errors, and user experience.

Azure Containter Services – Soft Delete

Azure Price Calculator

https://instances.vantage.sh

https://www.digicert.com/

Subscription , Account, Management Groups

Creating a subscription is straightforward. However, you will realize that creating your second subscription is not as straightforward as the first. This is because the subscription is tied to an account. Having the same user account owning multiple accounts is not allowed. Given this, when you have created the first subscription, you can be the account owner. The next time, you may not be able to create a subscription using the same account. To create a subscription, you need to follow the following steps.

Create an Account; this may require you to create department and other cost center details and assign an account owner (if a real account owner is not available, you can create a pseudo account and then delete it after the subscription is created).

2. The account owner needs to log in and activate the account. It’s important; if this activation is not done, you will not be able to create the subscription.

3. Now you can create the subscription.

For subscription creation, you need to mainly know the following menus in the Azure portal.