AN APPROXIMATE METHOD FOR COMPUTING PERFORMANCE-RELATED RELIABILITY OF GRACEFULLY DEGRADING SYSTEMS

Using existing methods, the computation of performance-related reliabi lity (PRR) of large-scale gracefully degrading systems is very tedious and time consuming. In this paper, the behaviour of such systems is r espectively modeled as two types of diffusion processes according to t heir reconfiguration coverage. If the coverage is 1 (i.e. the reconfig uration is always successful), it is modeled as a regular diffusion. I f, on the other hand, the coverage is less than one, it is modeled as diffusion with killing. Kolmogorov backward equations for regular diff usion processes and for diffusions with killing are then applied to co mpute the PRR. The methods have been applied in several examples, and the results satisfactorily agree with the accurate results.