Towards a generic model of configuraton tasks

A precise definition is provided for general configuration tasks. Two important assumptions are identified: (i) functional architecture and (ii) key component per function. A domain-independent model is presented based on these assumptions. These assumptions are shown to be both useful and tenable in real domains. They are useful because they limit the complexity of the general configuration task, determine the basic knowledge needed for solving a configuration task, and enable more efficient problem solving methods. Ideas are presented both for representing the knowledge and controlling the search. Some of these ideas were originally implemented in the Cossack expert system.