Special Issue: Configuration Design

Abstract

In configuration design parts are selected and connected to meet customer specifications and engineering and physical constraints. Specifications include preferences (e.g., “prefer lower cost to higher performance, all things being equal”), bounds on various resources (e.g., “the computer should have four PCI slots”), and other information to customize a configuration. Constraints typically arise from exogenous concerns, such as the available parts, the way parts can interact, and the manufacturing plant.