Distributed Database Management System Architecture

A distributed database management system allows applications to access data from

local and remote databases.

Following are some of the Architectures of Distributed DBMS:

 Homogeneous Distributed Databases Management System

In homogeneous distributed database management system, all sites have identical

software and are aware of each other and agree to cooperate in processing user requests. Each
site surrenders part of its autonomy in terms of right to change schema or software.

A homogeneous DBMS appears to the user as a single system. The homogeneous

system is much easier to design and manage.

The following conditions must be satisfied for homogeneous database:

 The data structures used at each location must be same or compatible.

 The database application (or DBMS) used at each location must be same or compatible.
  Heterogeneous Distributed Databases Management System
In a heterogeneous distributed database management system, different sites may
use different schema and software. Difference in schema is a major problem for query
processing and transaction processing. Sites may not be aware of each other and may provide
only limited facilities for cooperation in transaction processing. In heterogeneous systems,
different nodes may have different hardware & software and data structures at various nodes
or locations are also incompatible. Different computers and operating systems, database
applications or data models may be used at each of the locations. For example, one location
may have the latest relational database management technology, while another location may
store data using conventional files or old version of database management system. Similarly,
one location may have the Windows operating system, while another may have UNIX.
Heterogeneous systems are usually used when individual sites use their own hardware and
software. On heterogeneous system, translations are required to allow communication
between different sites (or DBMS).

 Client/Server Database Architecture

This architecture is quite common in relational systems where the communication

between the clients and the server is at the level of SQL statements. This provides two-level
architecture which make it easier to manage the complexity of modern DBMSs and the
complexity of distribution.
 The server does most of the data management work (query processing and
optimization, transaction management, storage management).

The client is the application and the user interface (management the data that is
cached to the client, management the transaction locks).

It also contains TWO components:

 Multiple client - single server:

From a data management perspective, this is not much different from centralized
databases since the database is stored on only one machine (the server) which also hosts the
software to manage it. However, there are some differences from centralized systems in the
way transactions are executed and caches are managed.

 Multiple client - multiple server:

In this case, two alternative management strategies are possible: either each client
manages its own connection to the appropriate server or each client knows of only its “home
server” which then communicates with other servers as required.
  ANSI / SPARC ARCHITECTURE

The ANSI-SPARC Architecture, where ANSI stands for (American National Standards
Institute) and SPARC stands for (Standards Planning And Requirements Committee), is an abstract
standard for a Database Management System (DBMS), first proposed in 1975.

The ANSI / SPARC architecture is claimed to be based on the data organization. It recognizes
three views of data:

The External View, which is that of the user, who might be a programmer; The Internal View, that of the
system or machine; and The Conceptual View, that of the enterprise.

For each of these views, an appropriate schema definition is required.

o The Internal View

At the lowest level of the architecture is the internal view, which deals with the
physical definition and organization of data.
 o The External View

At the other extreme is the external view, which is concerned with how users view the
database.

o The Conceptual View

Between these two ends is the conceptual schema, which is an abstract definition of
the database. It is the real world view of the enterprise being modeled in the database.
  PEER-TO-PEER DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE

The physical data organization on each machine may be different.

• Local internal scheme (LIS) - is an individual internal schema definition at each site.
• Global conceptual schema (GCS) - describes the enterprise view of the data.
• Local conceptual schema (LCS) describes the logical organization of data at each
site.
• External schemas (ESs) - support user applications and user access to the database.

In these cases, the ANSI/SPARC model is extended by the addition of global directory /
dictionary to permits the required global mappings. The local mappings are still performed
by local directory / dictionary. The local database management components are integrated by
means of global DBMS functions. Local conceptual schemas are mappings of global schema
onto each site.
The detailed components of a distributed DBMS.