Abstract
Reliability plays a pivotal role in products safety and quality. DoD RIAC recently developed a new reliability prediction methodology, $217Plus^{TM}$, for electronic systems. It officially replaces the well-known MIL-HDBK-217 and is expected to be widely used. Although theoretic study about $217Plus^{TM}$ and its application towards field systems seem to be attractive, it is also desirable to understand the general background of its development. In this paper, we performed a historical review of the arenas related to reliability prediction. Due to the vast of materials, our scope was limited to the development of $217Plus^{TM}$. We first reviewed Rome Laboratory and RIAC. We then explained the development course of reliability methods, MIL-HDBK-217, PRISM, and 217-Plus. This review will form not only a good understanding of the methodology but a basis for future study. We conclude this study with provision of future research areas.