Cameron, Ian C.
2.73 MB of textual records (PDF)
Audience: Undergraduate. -- Dissertation: Thesis (B. A.). -- Algoma University, 2005. -- Submitted in partial fulfillment of course requirements for COSC 4235. -- Includes figures. -- Contents: Thesis.
In this modern age computers dot the landscape peifouning a plethora of functions, and with all of these machines comes the monumental task that is maintenance. Circuit boards short out software becomes corrupted and viruses invade, and dealing with all these problems is the lowly technical support representative. To do this job the computer industry needs more expert representatives than can possibly be found let alone trained. This means that if a system can be created that would make the expertise of an experienced professional could be put at the fingertips of a new technician right out of training both perfoimance and customer satisfaction could be improved immensely. In this thesis the goal is to address one key question. Would a computer troubleshooting expert system represent the logical next step in troubleshooting aids? To answer this we will explore several topics. The first will be expert systems, the problems that they are best at solving, and how they are usually built. The second will be the Jess rule language which was chosen to build a prototype application. The third topic will be the analysis of the problem faced by the industry, and how it will be met. Finally we will describe the design and implementation of a prototype computer troubleshooting expert system.
