How long should I simulate, and for how many trials? A practical guide to reliability simulations

The authors have provided RAM analysts with practical rules of thumb that facilitate the resolution of how long and how many trials are appropriate for simulations that focus on particular RAM parameters. The rules of thumb provide a structured methodology that determines a solution space as a function of simulation length and number of trials such that the value of the RAM parameter in question can be considered "good enough". What is defined to be good enough, depends on the analyst's tolerance for the magnitude of the error in the output. This paper provides the applied RAM analyst with a RAM philosophy as to how to approach the resolution of the two RED most ubiquitous yet burdensome of RAM simulation questions.