Title
Architectural refactoring for the cloud: a decision-centric view on cloud migration.
Abstract
Unlike code refactoring of programs, architectural refactoring of systems is not commonly practiced yet. However, legacy systems typically have to be refactored when migrating them to the cloud; otherwise, these systems may run in the cloud, but cannot fully benefit from cloud properties such as elasticity. One reason for the lack of adoption of architectural refactoring is that many of the involved artefacts are intangible--architectural refactoring therefore is harder to grasp than code refactoring. To overcome this inhibitor, we take a task-centric view on the subject and introduce an architectural refactoring template that highlights the architectural decisions to be revisited when refactoring application architectures for the cloud; in this approach, architectural smells are derived from quality stories. We also present a number of common architectural refactorings and evaluate existing patterns regarding their cloud affinity. The final contribution of this paper is the identification of an initial catalog of architectural refactorings for cloud application design. This refactoring catalog was compiled from the cloud patterns literature as well as project experiences. Cloud knowledge and supporting templates have been validated via action research and implementation in cooperation with practitioners.
Year
DOI
Venue
2017
10.1007/s00607-016-0520-y
Computing
Keywords
Field
DocType
Architectural decisions, Architectural patterns, Cloud computing, Knowledge management, Reengineering, Refactoring, Software evolution and Maintenance, 68N99
Mathematical optimization,GRASP,Software engineering,Real-time computing,Action research,Business process reengineering,Architectural pattern,Code refactoring,Mathematics,Legacy system,Cloud computing
Journal
Volume
Issue
ISSN
99
2
1436-5057
Citations 
PageRank 
References 
3
0.40
12
Authors
1
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Olaf Zimmermann146434.34