Testing unconstrained optimization software

Much of the testing of optimization software is inadequate because the number of test functions is small or the starting points are close to the solution. In addition, there has been too much emphasis on measuring the efficiency of the software and not enough on testing reliability and robustness. To address this need, a relatively large but easy-to-use collection of test functions was produced and guidelines for testing the reliability and robustness of unconstrained optimization software were designed. 9 tables.