Contents

---

Defining TRAK Documents

TRAK is defined by 3 documents.

• == TRAK00004. TRAK. Architecture Framework == [this site]. The top level TRAK definition is at https://sourceforge.net/projects/trak/files/TRAK_Overall.pdf/download. This describes important ideas, choice of architecture description language, defines architecture perspectives, colour rules, bye laws, conformance with TRAK and the minimal modelling process. The overall TRAK specification invokes the following 2 documents:

  • TRAK00001. TRAK. Architecture Framework. Architecture Viewpoints. The TRAK architecture view definitions (architecture viewpoints) specification is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/trakviewpoints/files/TRAK_ArchitectureViewpoints.pdf/download. Each TRAK architecture view also has its own web page.

  • TRAK00002. TRAK. Architecture Framework. Metamodel . The TRAK metamodel specification is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/trakmetamodel/files/TRAK_metamodel.pdf/download. This defines the architecture description triples formed from node and relationship elements used to describe architecture. Each TRAK metamodel element also has its own web page.

Other Documents

• TRAK-on-a-page.pdf provides a very short 4 page introductory guide to TRAK including the metamodel diagrams.

---

TRAK Architecture Framework

The overall specification for the TRAK architecture framework :-

• identifies [conformance of TRAK against international standard 'ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011 - Systems and software engineering - Architecture description']https://trak.sourceforge.io/iso_42010.html). The conformance assessment including compliance matrix is held in a summary document and architecture description in the ISO 42010 section of the trak project site
• specifies what requirements a TRAK-conforming architecture description and architecture views has to satisfy
• defines the 5 architecture perspectives (Enterprise, Concept, Procurement, Solution and Management) used to group architecture viewpoints, architecture views and metamodel elements
• defines the colours used for the architecture perspectives and the rules for applying the colours to metamodel elements
• specifies overall rules applicable to the management of TRAK (metamodel, architecture viewpoint) and to the users of TRAK (architecture description and architecture view)
• defines the basic steps in creating a TRAK architecture description - the 'minimal modelling process'

More information on TRAK is provided on the trak project web site.

The TRAK metamodel provides the triples (node - connector - node), for example 'Software poses Threat' and 'Organisation makes Claim', that TRAK architecture views present as a description of architecture.

Each TRAK architecture view has a set of allowed triples - e.g. a TRAK MV-04 Assurance architecture view covering claims, arguments and evidence - 'Argument supports Claim' etc. Each TRAK architecture view also has a set of triples that defines the minimum acceptable architecture view content. This is specified by each TRAK architecture viewpoint as a set of unambiguous atomic requirement statements which makes it easy to verify the content of a TRAK architecture view.

TRAK is the only architecture framework that has verifiable architecture view content. As an example of verification a machine-readable XML + RDF presentation of a TRAK architecture view and architecture description can be verified using SHACL rules that implement each TRAK architecture viewpoint's content rules. A model of the TRAK architecture framework held in a Neo4J graph database makes it easy to generate these SHACL rules.

---

TRAK on the Internet

See also:

• TRAK Architecture Framework Group on LinkedIn
• TRAK Group on Facebook
• TRAK_AF on Mastodon
• TRAK_AF on Twitter
• Implementations of TRAK e.g. Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect, Salamander MooD, Microsoft Visio, OmniGraffle (Mac, iPad) etc.

RSS Feeds:

• TRAK news and RSS feed
• TRAK Architecture Framework / Blog and RSS feed
• file releases (this site - trak)

---

This Release

TRAK00004 TRAK. Architecture Framework

30th April 2025

TRK00004 TRAK. Architecture Framework

• Modified Figure 1-2 Normative TRAK Documents - Logical Definition vs Implementation of TRAK, Figure 3-1 Structure of the Framework.
• 8 TRAK Architecture Perspectives. Updated metamodel clips.
• 9.2 Colour Rules – Architecture Perspective and Viewpoints. Changed Procurement perspective colour to #FF9800 (darker orange) Added Figure 9-3- Textual (RDF-Turtle) Description of Triples – No Colour Applies

TRAK-on-a-Page

• updated metamodel to 30th April 2025
• added SV-11 Solution Event Causes example including fault event tree and Turtle/RDF fragment

The changes are outlined at https://trak.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/trak/trunk/?view=log.

Get Notified of Files Released on this Site

If you'd like to be notified of file releases rather than having to remember to visit the site and check you can do so using RSS. Simply add (subscribe to) the following URL in your RSS reader or MS Outlook / Apple Mail etc:

• https://sourceforge.net/projects/trak/rss?path=/

---

Structure on Sourceforge

The TRAK architecture framework is split across 3 Sourceforge project sites:-

• trak - https://sf.net/p/trak [this site] - web pages at https://trak.sourceforge.io. Holds artefacts that define, affect and explain the overall architecture framework.
• trakviewpoints - https://sf.net/p/trakviewpoints - web pages at https://trakviewpoints.sourceforge.io. Holds the artefacts that define, affect and explain the TRAK architecture viewpoints.
• trakmetamodel - https://sf.net/p/trakmetamodel - web pages at https://trakmetamodel.sourceforge.io. Holds the artefacts that define, affect and explain the TRAK metamodel.

This Site - trak

• Implementation
  • documents concerned with implementation of TRAK in modelling or drawing tools. Includes specification of names to be used for objects, attributes, enumerated lists, standards that apply e.g. RFCs etc.
• Suitability of Architecture Description Language
  • documents mapping notation languages to TRAK

• ISO42010

  • documents relating to the compliance of TRAK with the international standard for architecture description ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011. Note that there is a set of web pages (an architecture description) that present the claims, supporting arguments and supporting evidence (assurance - Claims, Arguments, Evidence - CAE) in respect of:-
    • 1) the conformance of TRAK as an architecture framework against section 6 of the standard
    • 2) the conformance of a TRAK-conforming architecture description against section 5 of the standard
  • TRAK00015_TRAK_AD_Summary_Conformance_with_42010_2011.pdf - a summary of the compliance of TRAK and a TRAK-conforming architecture description against ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011
  • TRAK00014_TRAK_vs_ISO42010_compliance.ods - a compliance matrix against the requirements in ISO/IEC/IEEE 42010:2011

• Steering Group Documents

  • documents created or used by the TRAK Steering Group responsible for directing and co-ordinating the definition of TRAK

• INCOSE

  • documents relating to the International Council on Systems Engineering. Currently comments from the INCOSE UK Architecture Working Group (AWG).