science

Open systems architecture

Open systems architecture is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Open systems architecture rather than just read about it. In short: Open systems architecture is a system design approach which aims to produce systems that are inherently interoperable and connectable without recourse to retrofit and redesign. Concept Systems design is a process of defining and engineering the architecture, methods, and interfaces necessary to accomplish a goal or fulfill a set of requirements.

Key takeaways

Open systems architecture belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Open systems architecture to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Open systems architecture from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Open systems architecture is a system design approach which aims to produce systems that are inherently interoperable and connectable without recourse to retrofit and redesign.

Concept Systems design is a process of defining and engineering the architecture, methods, and interfaces necessary to accomplish a goal or fulfill a set of requirements. In open systems architecture, the design includes intentional provisions to make it possible to expand or modify the system at a later stage after initial operation. There is no one specific universal OSA, but it is essential the specific OSA applicable to a system is rigorously defined and documented. For example, in information technology and telecommunication, such design principles lead to open systems.

Telecommunications In telecommunications, open systems architecture (OSA) is a standard that describes the layered hierarchical structure, configuration, or model of a communications or distributed data processing system. It enables system description, design, development, installation, operation, improvement, and maintenance to be performed at the abstraction layers in the hierarchical structure. Each layer provides a set of accessible functions that can be controlled and used by the functions in the layer above it. Each layer can be implemented without affecting the implementation of other layers. The alteration of system performance by the modification of one or more layers may be accomplished without altering the existing equipment, procedures, and protocols at the remaining layers. Examples of independent alterations include the conversion from wire to optical fiber at a physical layer without affecting the data link layer or the network layer, except to provide more traffic capacity, and the altering of the operational protocols at the network level without altering the physical layer.

See also Hardware Open Systems Technologies Architecture of Interoperable Information Systems Architectural pattern Enterprise architecture OSI model Open-system environment reference model

References

Sources General Services Administration (1991). "Federal Standard 1037C". Institute for Communication Science. Guertin, Nickolas; Hurt, Thomas (1 October 2013). DTIC ADA608725: DoD Open Systems Architecture Contract Guidebook for Program Managers: A Tool for Effective Competition (Report). Defense Technical Information Center. Sage, Andrew P. (1992). Systems Engineering. New York: Wiley-interscience. ISBN 0471536393. OCLC 473169047. This article incorporates public domain material from Federal Standard 1037C. General Services Administration. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Open systems architecture

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Open systems architecture claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Open systems architecture before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Open systems architecture ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Open systems architecture

In research: Open systems architecture appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Open systems architecture in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Open systems architecture is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Systems architecture, Telecommunications standards, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Open systems architecture outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Open systems architecture in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Open systems architecture means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Open systems architecture out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Open systems architecture in simple terms?

Open systems architecture is a system design approach which aims to produce systems that are inherently interoperable and connectable without recourse to retrofit and redesign. Concept Systems design is a process of defining and engineering the architecture, methods, and interfaces necessary to acc…

Why does Open systems architecture matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Open systems architecture?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Open systems architecture.