RAM Commander Fundamentals

Transcription

1 Chapter 5 RAM Commander Fundamentals 151 Chapter 5 RAM Commander Fundamentals This chapter deals with the basic tools repeatedly used in accessing and navigating through RAM Commander data: the product tree view, project data lists, report management, backing up and restoring. As these tools are used throughout RAM Commander, a familiarity with them will allow you to work quickly and efficiently. RAM Commander provides maximum flexibility for best exploiting the time devoted to reliability and maintainability studies. The extensive library structure, combined with window and graphic interfaces, ensures productivity, efficiency and consistency. Toolbar Icons The toolbar displays buttons that are equivalent to common RAM Commander menu choices. Some toolbar buttons are grayed out when the corresponding menu selection cannot be performed within an activated list.

2 152 RAM Commander User s Guide The following is a description of toolbar buttons: Click To Open projects list from the selected drive Print Rename the selected element Edit current item data Create a new item Delete the current item Select/Deselect the current list item Calculate Display Reports selection dialog Show hierarchical structure (nested RBD, FMEA diagrams, etc) Edit project remarks To display context Help To display Help topics To display About RAM Commander To toggle the toolbar display, choose Toolbar from the View menu. Window Management Apart from the usual Windows features referred to below, the advantage of working with RAM Commander is that you can work on several parts of the project or with many projects in different windows. The possibility in RAM Commander of opening and working in several windows simultaneously, allows you to access

3 Chapter 5 RAM Commander Fundamentals 153 Status Bar various parts of the project, such as the Product tree, Libraries, RBD, etc, in many projects, facilitating reliability task execution. RAM Commander supports most of the window management features provided by Microsoft s File Manager. You can cascade and tile open windows, and arrange the icons of minimized windows. Using these functions, you can work simultaneously with many open lists operating on several projects or parts of projects. For an explanation of window management techniques, refer to the Microsoft Windows User s Guide. The status bar contains summary information (e.g., ID and data output) about the open list. Its contents change depending on what type of list is activated. For instance, the status bar for a product tree view displays the current item ID. For an RBD window, the status bar shows the result of the last reliability calculation. The viewing area of a list may be increased by removing its status bar. To toggle a status bar, choose Status Bar from the View menu. The RAM Commander status bar Working with Lists A list is a window that scrolls over records. You can sort and filter the displayed records. RAM Commander lists have the added feature of allowing you to directly manipulate records. Lists are used in RAM Commander for projects and library records.

4 154 RAM Commander User s Guide Note Even though all the examples below refer to the Library list, they can equally apply to all the other lists generated by RAM Commander such as component libraries and cross-reference libraries. Data Manipulation Using Lists Using the various lists, you can add, edit and delete RAM Commander s databases records. To add a record using a Component Library list 1 Activate the Library list. 2 From the Item menu, choose Create - OR - Press F7. 3 Enter information in the dialog box and choose OK. RAM Commander redisplays the Library list with the new record.

5 Chapter 5 RAM Commander Fundamentals 155 To edit a record using a Library list 1 Activate the Library list. 2 Double-click the item - OR - From the Item menu, choose Edit - OR - Press ALT+ENTER - OR - Right-click and choose Edit from the pop-up menu. 3 Modify the information in the dialog box and choose OK. RAM Commander redisplays the Library list with the updated record. To delete a record using a Library list 1 Activate the Library list. 2 From the Item menu, choose Delete - OR - Press DEL - OR - Right-click and choose Delete from the pop-up menu. Caution Be careful when deleting records. There is no undo facility to restore data to a previous state. 3 Enter your confirmation in the Attention dialog box. RAM Commander redisplays the Library list without the deleted record.

6 156 RAM Commander User s Guide RAM Commander Projects RAM Commander Project is a separate database for a single analysis case. It contains all information you enter or calculate for single analysis case for all the possible analysis types you use Reliability, Maintainability, RBD, FTA, etc. To open a RAM Commander project list 1 From the Drive menu, choose Open. The Open Drive dialog box opens. The Open Drive dialog box displays a list of the drives to which your computer has access (both local and network drives). 2 Select the drive where your projects are (or will be) located. 3 Choose OK.

7 Chapter 5 RAM Commander Fundamentals 157 RAM Commander displays a project list. A project list shows a list of all the RAM Commander projects stored on the selected drive. Project access permissions The project line color and icon type depend on current access limitations. RAM Commander allows you to perform different operations with projects (change, delete, back up, calculate) according to two possible limitations: permissions and another user s activity. The permission level is set individually for each project from one of the following options: User Only the project author may access the project. Group Only members of the same user group as the project author may access the project. All Anyone can access the project RAM Commander allows simultaneous work of a number of users on the same project (starting from version 7.5). Some of the users may perform Reliability analysis, while other users input FMECA, or draw RBD diagrams or work with Fault Trees all inside the same project. The first user who enters a non-selected project becomes the project manager. Only this user can change project default settings (default prediction methods, FMECA Criticality settings, etc.). All other users

8 158 RAM Commander User s Guide can enter the project and work on it. However, only the project manager can perform backup/restore/rename operations, and only when there are no other active users currently working on the project. The current project manager may decline his status by closing the project and de-selecting it in the project list. Then another user may select the project and become the project manager. Some resources in a project cannot be edited simultaneously (e.g., FTA diagrams, RBD diagrams, etc.) When a user tries to access one such resource currently occupied by another user, a warning message appears. For example, if one user is editing specific RBD diagram, another user cannot open it. However, he can open another RBD diagram or create a new one. The following is a list of projects states in the projects list: State Meaning What to do Project line is red: No permission to access the project. You cannot open the project. Ask project owner to grant you the access (see permissions selection in project settings) Project line is gray: Project line is green: Project is not selected, project manager position is empty; maybe other users are working on the project You have selected the project; you are the project manager of this project You may open the project, and become project manager. You may enter the project, change default settings of the project, rename, backup, copy and delete the project (if there are no active users currently working). Project line is Another user You may enter the project

9 Chapter 5 RAM Commander Fundamentals 159 yellow: selected the project and he is the current project manager (See Locked By field by his name) and work on it, but you cannot change default calculation methods and delete, rename, backup or copy the project. Managing RAM Commander Projects You may create, open in different modes, delete, copy, backup, restore and rename projects. To open a project in main analysis mode 2 Select the project you wish to open. 3 From the Project menu, choose Open, or right-click and choose Open from the pop-up menu, or press F2. RAM Commander displays the Product tree view. See chapter 8 Project building for more information about the Product tree view. To open a project in Process or Design FMEA analysis mode 2 Select the project you wish to open. 3 From the Project menu, choose Process/Design FMEA, or rightclick and choose Process/Design FMEA from the pop-up menu. RAM Commander opens FMEA module. See chapter Process/Design FMEA for more information about the module.

10 160 RAM Commander User s Guide To open a project in FTA analysis mode 2 Select the project you wish to open. 3 From the Project menu, choose FTA, or right-click and choose FTA from the pop-up menu. RAM Commander opens FTA (Fault Tree Analysis) module. See chapter Fault Tree Analysis for more information about the module. To create a new project 2 From the Project menu, choose Create or press F7. The Edit project properties dialog box opens. 3 Enter the Project name, Group, Description, FR units and Permission. 4 Choose OK. RAM Commander updates the Project list. See chapter Project building for more information about project definition. To backup a project You can archive your projects to a floppy disk or any other data storage medium and restore them at a later time. 2 Select the project you want to backup. 3 From the Project menu, choose Backup, or right-click and choose Backup from the pop-up menu. The Backup Project dialog box opens. 4 Select the floppy disk drive or any other data storage media. 5 Choose Save. RAM Commander backs up your project onto the designated floppy disk / other data storage medium drive.

11 Chapter 5 RAM Commander Fundamentals 161 Important Be sure to back up your RAM Commander projects frequently. Correct backup procedures eliminate the need to redo your work due to power failures, disk crashes, network faults or other computer problems. To restore a project 2 From the Project menu, choose Restore; the Restore Project dialog box opens. 3 Select the drive of the data storage medium. 4 Select the project you want to restore. 5 Choose OK. RAM Commander restores your project and displays it in the destination drive s list. If the project already exists, enter your confirmation to overwrite it. To delete a project 2 Select the project you wish to delete. 3 From the Project menu, choose Delete, or press the Delete button, or right-click and choose Delete from the pop-up menu. 4 Enter your confirmation in the Attention dialog box. RAM Commander deletes the project from the drive and updates the Product tree view. Note: Be careful when deleting projects. However, upon deleting, each deleted project is automatically backed in the RAM32\TMP folder so that it can be restored if necessary. To edit project definition

12 162 RAM Commander User s Guide 2 Double-click on the project you want to edit. 3 In the Project properties dialog box, enter the new values. 4 Choose OK. RAM Commander displays the new project properties in the Product tree view. See chapter 8 Project building for more information about project definition. To rename a project 2 Select the project you wish to rename. 3 From the Project menu, choose Rename, or right-click and choose Rename from the pop-up menu. 4 Enter new project name in the New Project Name dialog box. RAM Commander renames the project from the drive and updates the Product tree view. To copy a project 2 Select the project you wish to copy. 3 Activate another Project list on the drive where you wish to copy (Destination list). 4 Drag and drop the project you wish to copy from its project list to another project list (Destination list). RAM Commander copies the project and updates the destination Product tree view.

13 Chapter 5 RAM Commander Fundamentals 163 RAM Commander Project Main View In this section, we assume that you already know how to start the RAM Commander and how to open the RAM Commander project, displaying the Product tree view. Navigating Through a RAM Commander Project The RAM Commander Product tree view is a graphical hierarchical presentation of the project s items. Navigating through a project is very similar to navigating through any commonly used hierarchical structures, such as exploring folders in Microsoft Windows. Open project (see To open a project issue above). RAM Commander displays the Product tree view. Setting a Project Mode Option When you run the RAM Commander for the first time, the Product tree view opens in the Operating mode. Afterwards it opens in the analysis mode last used for a current project.

14 164 RAM Commander User s Guide Current Analysis Current Analysis Operating Non-operating Description Reliability prediction for equipment in operating mode Reliability prediction for equipment in non-operating mode, such as storage Result Failure rate: operating Failure rate: non-operating Maintainability Maintainability Prediction MTTR and Mct Derating Derating analysis Component stress values FMECA Modules Failure modes and effects criticality analysis. Testability analysis FMECA report In addition to its core modes, RAM Commander has numerous modules performing many extremely important and valuable Reliability Engineering tasks. There are two ways to access RAM Commander modules: The Modules buttons on the Product tree view: RBD Design FMEA Process FMEA FTA ETA Safety Reliability Block Diagram Potential Failure Mode & Effects Analysis for products Potential Failure Mode & Effects Analysis for processes Fault Tree Analysis Event Tree Analysis Safety Analysis Module (SSA, PHA)

15 Chapter 5 RAM Commander Fundamentals 165 Markov RCM Markov Chains Analysis Module Reliability Centered Maintenance From the Modules menu, choose one of the following: Mission Profile RBD Markov Chains System Configuration FTA ETA Safety Spare Parts Derating Reliability Growth Duane RCM Design FMEA Process FMEA Import Wizard Note Refer to the specific chapter for more information. Summary In this chapter, you learned about RAM Commander fundamentals: RAM Commander projects, project analysis modes and project data management.

16 166 RAM Commander User s Guide