Starting from CAST AIP 8.3.23, CAST Architecture Checker will no longer be installed as part of the CAST AIP setup, whether installing CAST AIP from scratch or on a server where a previous release of CAST AIP exists. CAST Architecture Checker has evolved into a standalone component where all feature requests and bug fixes are now managed. This standalone component can be downloaded from CAST Extend (https://extendng.castsoftware.com/#/search-results?q=archichecker).
Up-to-date documentation can be found here: CAST Architecture Checker.
What is the CAST Architecture Checker?
Introduction
The goal of Archictecture Checker is to enable Enterprise Design and Architecture Checks. Enterprise Architects can capture and store Application Models and check overtime actual applications against these models. CAST enables real enterprise architecture checks as it offers checks of applications built using multiple languages and technologies. It fully leverages CAST's cross-language, cross-technology capabilities and CAST end-to-end application analysis.
Until recently, it was difficult to do architecture conformance checks just because architecture rules had to be very generic. Now with the Architecture Checker, Enterprise Architects can define architectures models that fit their specific application designs. Checking overtime actual applications against these architecture models is very important to avoid any Security and Robustness issues.
The goal of Archictecture Checker is also to help define quality rules at the application and design level without programming. Most engines that can help check design and architecture rules require users to master a programming language and a specific API. CAST Architecture Checker enables the definition of quality & architecture rules just by drag and drop.
Summary
The Architecture Checker GUI (CAST-ArchiChecker.exe) provides a means for you to:
- Create an Architecture Model that reflects a business application or set of applications via the use of Layers and Dependencies between those Layers
- Define the contents of Layers in terms of objects resulting from a CAST AIP analysis / snapshot
- You can check your model in "live" mode against the results of a snapshot that has already been generated.
Once the Architecture Model is defined, it can then be used in the CAST Management Studio. When your application or set of applications is then analyzed in the CAST Management Studio and a Snapshot is subsequently generated, the Architecture Model will be taken into account.
Results and information can then be consulted in the CAST Health Dashboard/CAST Engineering Dashboard as Quality Rules. Violations of the Architecture Model will be reported as violations to the Quality Rules.
Note about modules:
Please ensure that any objects you want to work with in the CAST Architecture Checker are part of a Module, i.e.:
- A module created manually (a User Defined Module)
- A module created automatically (by the CAST Management Studio if no User Defined Modules exist when the snapshot is generated).
- Architecture Checker can report violations between two Layers even when objects inside the targeted Layer not only are external, but also belong to a module external to the Application being checked. The only constraint is that the objects inside the Layer from which the Dependency towards the targeted Layer is issued, must belong to a module internal to the Application. For example, it is possible to check for links which reach objects belonging to a .NET assembly outside of the Application boundary, provided these links start from objects in a module which is internal to the Application (even though these latter objects can be external).
