Stat > Reliability/Survival > Distribution Analysis (Right Censoring) > Parametric Distribution Analysis > Options
Estimate parameters of distribution: Select to estimate the distribution parameters from the data (the default).
Use starting estimates
Enter starting estimates for the parameters. Enter one column of value to use for all samples, or enter several columns of values in the order that the corresponding variables appear in Variables in the main dialog box. For information on how to enter multiple values for multiple failure modes, go to How do I specify multiple starting estimates for multiple reliability distributions?.
Maximum number of iterations
Enter a positive integer to specify the maximum number of iterations for the maximum likelihood method. The default value is 20. Minitab uses the modified Newton-Raphson algorithm, a recursive method, to calculate the maximum likelihood estimates. If Minitab reaches the maximum number of iterations before convergence, the command terminates.
Use historical estimates: Enter historical estimates for the parameters. Enter one column of value to use for all samples, or enter several columns of values in the order that the corresponding variables appear in Variables in the main dialog box.
