| Summary: | Traditional expert systems technology is limited, being hard to maintain and extend to new problems. In this thesis, I propose a logical formalization for the domain of computer hardware which will enable the use of theorem proving techniques for the task of computer hardware configuration. This domain was the subject of one of the earliest knowledge based systems, XCON. Whilst XCON is cited as a successful system, it has nevertheless also been criticized for its maintenance problems. This is an important issue, as the turnover of computer hardware components is particularly changeable, the market being subject to intense competition and rapidly changing technology. My approach enables the task of configuring a computer configuration <i>c</i> from a specification <i>spec(c)</i> to be performed by synthesizing <i>c</i> as a by-product of proving the theorem exists <i>c.spec(c)</i> when <i>c</i> becomes instantiated in the course of the proof. A clean separation of the object-level, heuristic and control knowledge enbales us to guide search and aids maintenance. As well as ensuring legal configurations, by virtue of the soundness of the underlying logical theory, I have also been able to take design issues into consideration by using heuristic and control knowledge.
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