Reliability Model Generator for fault-tolerant systems

An analysis tool that reasons from structural and functional system design specifications to generate a reliability model for the system under investigation is presented. The resultant model defines a system state space sufficient to characterize the effects of single and multiple component failures, and the model may then be examined using the Semi-Markov Unreliability Range Evaluator to compute numerical bounds for system reliability. A separation of the component functions from the structural specifications allows easy modification for analysis of alternative architectures. The use of a hierarchical system description paradigm promotes multiple abstractions.