This document deals with the design choices and goals of the Portable CONSOL, project. The original version of CONSOL-OPTCAD, a software package for the optimization-based design of engineering systems developed at the University of Maryland, was designed for use under SunOS on UNIX workstations. The idea behind the Portable CONSOL project is to create a portable engine which implements the functionality of CONSOL-OPTCAD but which will make versions of CONSOL for other computer platforms possible.

Given the technological advancements since the original implementation of CONSOL-OPTCAD, it is now feasible to have a version of CONSOL which can be run on many different computer platforms. With personal computers now available which are as powerful (or more powerful) than the UNIX workstations for which CONSOL-OPTCAD was originally designed, a version of CONSOL capable of running on desktop personal computers is now desirable. One of the results of this project has been the development of a version of CONSOL which can be run on multiple architectures, including Sun OS, Linux, MS-DOS, MS-Windows, and OS/2.

Other results from this project include new user interfaces for CONSOL, which allow for easier user manipulation and control of the optimization process. Support for more external simulators is being developed, as well as new graphical tools to enhance the usefulness of CONSOL as an optimization tool.