Estimation of the reliability of computer components from field renewal data

Abstract

The assessment of the performance of electronic components in actual use is important to the manufacturers of these parts for many reasons. In this paper, we discuss the complexities involved in statistically estimating the reliability of computer components from field data on systems having different operating times. We also describe the operations of a specific department of the IBM Corporation involved with measuring the field performance of locally manufacturered product. The renewal method for estimating component reliability and the corresponding assumptions are explained, and the procedure is illustrated with an application to some actual field data. In particular, the estimated cumulative distribution function, hazard rate, and lognormal and Weilbull probability plots for this field example are shown. © 1980.