# Research Infusion 2008

# Tool or Technology Information

**[Contact Information]{.underline}**

Name of Tool/Technology: CONFIG Hybrid Simulator

Name of Technology Provider: Jane T. Malin

Primary Point of Contact (PPC): Jane T. Malin

PPC Phone No.: 281-483-2046

PPC e-mail: <jane.t.malin@nasa.gov>

Alternate Contact Name (APC): Land D. Fleming

APC Phone No.: 281-483-2058

APC e-mail: <land.d.fleming@nasa.gov>

Technology Provider Website:

Technology Provider Address: NASA Johnson Space Center/MC ER2

2101 NASA Parkway

Houston, TX 77058-3696

**[Tool/Technology Details]{.underline}**

Description of Tool/Technology: A system (component/function-connection)
modeling tool and hybrid discrete/continuous event simulator with an
extensible library of components, for integrated system evaluation and
software validation testing. Simulation fidelity is low to moderate.
Modular hierarchical models and an efficient path analyzer support
reconfiguration of models during simulation, to react to events that
reconfigure components of the system, and to permit multi-fidelity and
multi-rate simulation runs. For evaluation of concepts and designs, the
software, as well as hardware, may be modeled. For control software
validation testing, CONFIG hardware models may be interfaced to the
control software.

Commercial or Research Technology: Research

Associated Program: SARP

Potential Benefits: Can be used for evaluating advanced control software
by interfacing the software to CONFIG simulator via CORBA or other
remote process communication software. CONFIG system simulations
interfaced to control software have been used to demonstrate
unanticipated software/hardware interactions that were later traced to
incomplete or incorrect software requirements.

Supported Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux

Required Inputs: System diagrams and schematics, equipment operating
parameters, operation specs, model information extracted from
requirements and design documents

Outputs Produced: Simulation event logs and summary reports and graphs,
animated visualizations

**[Maturity Level]{.underline}**

Applied to Real Problems? Yes No

If Yes, Level of Success Achieved: CONFIG has been used for evaluating
and demonstrating advanced system management software in operational and
failure scenarios. Successfully used to validate advanced software for
managing gas storage and transfer in a 90-day manned life-support
systems test. Found bugs and requirements problems.

Already in Use within NASA? Yes No

If Yes, at what center(s): Johnson Space Center (JSC)

**[Support]{.underline}**

User/Ref. Documentation Available: User guide and tutorials included on
distribution CD

Phone Support Available: Yes

Is Tool/Technology Developer willing to support infusion effort? Yes No

**[Licensing]{.underline}**

Is Tool/Technology Provider willing to provide Evaluation Copy for
extended period of time? Yes No

**[Other Information]{.underline}**

References to relevant technical papers and URL for this product or its
parent:

1.  Malin, J. T., Fleming, L., Hatfield, T. R., 1998. Interactive
    Simulation-Based Testing of Product Gas Transfer Integrated
    Monitoring and Control Software for the Lunar Mars Life Support
    Phase III Test. In *Proceedings of SAE 28^th^ International
    Conference on Environmental Systems*. SAE Paper No. 981769.

2.  Malin J. T., Fleming, L., Throop, D. R., 2002. Predicting System
    Accidents with Model Analysis during Hybrid Simulation. In
    *Proceedings Advanced Simulation Technologies Conference*, San
    Diego, CA.

3.  Malin J. T., Flores, L., Fleming, L., Throop, D., 2002. Using CONFIG
    for Simulation of Operation of Water Recovery Subsystems for
    Advanced Control Software Evaluation. In *Proceedings of SAE 32d
    International Conference on Environmental Systems*. SAE Paper No.
    02ICES-114.

4.  Malin et al., U. S. Patent 4,965,743, Discrete Event Simulation Tool
    for Analysis of Qualitative Models of Continuous Processing Systems,
    October, 1990.

5.  Malin and Fleming, U.S. Patent 5,732,192, Global Qualitative
    Flow-path Modeling for Local State Determination in Simulation and
    Analysis, March, 1998.

<http://technology.nasa.gov/TOPS_Detail.cfm?PKEY=600056&category=TOPS>

Research product objective:

Tool

Method or Technique

Process

Other (Please specify)

Integration with other tools in the System Safety Analysis tool set

Description of research product objective:

Use CONFIG for timed simulation to supplement graph analysis of system
models, to evaluate scenarios where the controlled system and software
may interact to create integrated system risks.

What **differentiates your research product** from related research and
from commercially-available products?

CONFIG is a hybrid discrete/continuous simulator, with two software
patents for the unique underlying technology. The simulator incorporates
a dynamic linear circuit computation module based on Ohm's and
Kirchhoff's Laws that is useful for simulating the behavior of
electrical circuits and fluid flow circuits in systems with variable
resistances and sources of effort. This efficient algorithm, when
applied to the modular component models, makes it possible to
reconfigure the model as paths of energy open, close or change direction
during the simulation. CONFIG is a NASA-developed research product.

Target application domain type:

Autonomous Systems

AI other than Robotics

Business Automated Data Processing

Collaboration

Command and Control

Communications

Diagnosis

Multi-Agent

Multi-Threaded

Navigation / Guidance

Real-Time

Robotics

Scientific

Security

Software Development Tools (Tools for building tools)

Other (Specify)

Target software engineering areas:

Project Management including tool selection

Measurement of software artifacts

Requirements

Specification

Design

Implementation

Maintenance

Process Management

Configuration Management

QA

Safety

V & V

Other (Specify)

What are the **key characteristics of a target application that
determine the applicability** (or not) of the research?

Software testing of large systems at low to moderate fidelity and low
ratio of software cycle frequency to simulation time duration (fewer
software changes than system changes). Software can also be simulated.
Interfaced software for evaluation must be able to communicate with
remote processes. Not for kinematics or orbital mechanics simulations.\
Most suitable for simulating systems with fluid flows, some electrical
circuits, chemical processors, and communication exchanges.

What does a **software development project** need to do to make use of
the research product?

-   Project manager and R&D group jointly define the scope and use of
    the system and software models, and if in-line evaluation of a
    software test article is planned, confirm suitability of software
    interfaces and extend interfaces

-   Project defines test or evaluation objectives and model
    requirements: major subsystems in plant and software requirements
    that will drive evaluation scenarios

-   Project defines scope of models to be implemented: major subsystems
    and their devices, system flows, device processing computations

-   Project uses CONFIG to implement and evaluate models

-   Project uses CONFIG to simulate evaluation scenarios and iterates to
    change the model or the software as needed

Example documents are available from the extensive 1997 test of control
software for gas transfer in a life support system test: Requirements
and Models; Software Validation Test Results; Lessons Learned.

What kind of support does a software development project need to make
use of the research?

Assistance during the project with scoping, modeling, interfacing to
software test articles and running evaluation scenarios.