Patent ID: 7024635

Claim:
A method for modeling a computing architecture, the method executed on a computer, the method comprising: identifying a plurality of computing layers, each computing layer representing a functional layer of the computing architecture; identifying a plurality of computing systems; identifying, for each of the plurality of computing systems, at least one of the plurality of computing layers that is implemented by the computing system; displaying a first plurality of bars in stacked relationship to each other, each of the first plurality of bars representing a computing layer of the plurality of computing layers; displaying a second plurality of bars approximately orthogonal to the first plurality of bars and over at least a portion of the first plurality of bars, each of the second plurality of bars representing a computing system, wherein each of the second plurality of bars extends through a portion of the first plurality of bars an amount corresponding to the identified at least one of the computing layers that is implemented by the computing system represented by the bar; and displaying a selected one of the first plurality of bars larger than the other bars for displaying details within the selected bar.