Hardwareߝsoftware tradeoffs in testing

The application of digital computers to reliability testing, although not a new concept, is gaining wider acceptance in the manufacturing and aerospace industries; it is replacing or supplementing special hardware that has provided the necessary test capabilities in the past. Unfortunately, arbitrary decisions are sometimes made as to tradeoff between software and special hardware. Before such decisions are made concerning the total system, it is necessary to analyze the needs of the information, control, and interface subsystems as well as the unit to be tested.