Method and apparatus for discovery of operational boundaries for shmoo tests

A method of testing operational boundaries, comprising:

• a) varying a first and second operating parameter in a plurality of operating parameters, said plurality of operating parameters defining points in an operating region for a device;
• b) beginning from a known operational point of said device, testing adjacently coupled points in a direction until an initial failure point is discovered;
• and
• c) from said initial failure point, testing for and discovering each of a plurality of failure points that are adjacently coupled until returning to said initial failure point, said plurality of failure points defining an operational boundary for said device that bounds an operational range comprising a plurality of interior operational points within said operating region for said device.

A computer system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a computer readable memory coupled to said processor and containing program instructions that, when executed, implement a method of testing operational boundaries comprising:
• discovering an operational range over a plurality of varying operating parameters for a device by testing points, as defined by said plurality of varying operating parameters, to discover an operational boundary of said device that comprises a plurality of boundary points just outside of said operational range, without testing all of a plurality of interior operational points within said operational boundary.