The MICON system, which synthesizes a single-board computer design from a high-level description of the board's functions and design constraints, is described. The synthesis process is based on designing subsystems (e.g. processor, memory, input/output) individually and then forming a full system design from the results. MICON has the added capability of design for reliability, automatically synthesizing boards that meet given reliability criteria. The quality of the design produced is strongly dependent on the knowledge in the system. In particular, MICON requires capturing and applying design and analysis knowledge in several areas: the selection of appropriate components, the interconnection of components to achieve a desired behavior, and the evaluation of the evolving system design in light of specified constraints. The techniques of representing and using this knowledge are discussed. Design examples are presented.
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