Quality Applications

Relex Software Corp.'s RBD and Reliability Prediction Software Benefits Relex RBD features a Monte Carlo simulation engine. Relex Reliability Prediction Analysis provides access to comprehensive parts libraries. Relex Reliability Prediction Analysis simplifies data transfers with a CAD import/export wizard. www.relexsoftware.com

Scientific-Atlanta Improves Reliability With Relex Software
Relex Software Corp.'s RBD and Reliability Prediction Software

Scientific-Atlanta Inc. supplies digital-content distribution systems, transmission networks for broadband access to the home, digital interactive set-tops and subscriber systems designed for video, high-speed Internet and voice-over-IP networks, as well as customer service and support. The company had previously developed reliability analysis with a pencil and paper or a spreadsheet--processes both laden with the potential for errors. Scientific-Atlanta needed a software package that would automate the procedure while providing computational tools to improve accuracy. After evaluating several products on the market, Scientific-Atlanta selected Relex Software Corp.'s family of reliability analysis products.

 Relex software provides fast and accurate reliability, availability, mean time between failure, and failure-rate calculations through multiple analytical methods. Reliability block diagrams and other analysis tools allow engineers to quickly and easily predict and compare the reliability and availability of alternative network configurations. Design engineers can then use the information to provide a high level of service to customers while avoiding unnecessary capital investment.

 "We picked Relex because it's one of the largest firms in this business; so it is not that hard to hire engineers who are familiar with it," says Andrew Drexler, a reliability engineer for Scientific-Atlanta.

 To predict the reliability of the products it proposes to customers, Scientific-Atlanta's engineers export the list of materials from their enterprise resource planning system in spreadsheet format. Then they import the spreadsheet file into Relex Reliability Prediction software. The Relex interface allows the engineer to easily define each part type and add new parts to the parts library. The Telcordia-standard database included with the Relex Reliability Prediction software provides the base failure rate for each component. It also provides factors that adjust for specific operating conditions.

 "With the software taking care of the tedious part of the job, we can stay focused on collecting failure-rate data from our vendors and meeting our customers' needs in a timely manner," adds Drexler.

 With the Relex RBD software, an engineer places components on the screen, assigns properties and connects them together to generate a reliability block diagram. The software then provides reliability, availability, mean time between failure, and failure-rate calculations.

 Scientific-Atlanta is using reliability predictions to develop availability models of entire end-to-end broadband cable networks. The availability models use reliability predictions and reliability block diagrams as their starting point. They use the Markov diagram approach to build availability equations for each network element and then combine the network elements into a system analysis.