An inheritance-based technique for building simulation proofs incrementally

This paper presents a technique for incrementally constructing safety specifications, abstract algorithm descriptions, and simulation proofs showing that algorithms meet their specifications. The technique for building specifications (and algorithms) allows a child specification (or algorithm) to in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings / International Conference on Software Engineering pp. 478 - 487
Main Authors: Keidar, Idit, Khazan, Roger, Lynch, Nancy, Shvartsman, Alex
Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
Language:English
Published: New York, NY, USA ACM 2000
IEEE
Series:ACM Conferences
Subjects:
Computational modeling
Computer science
Computer simulation
Computing methodologies > Modeling and simulation
Context modeling
General and reference > Cross-computing tools and techniques > Verification
Large-scale systems
Object oriented modeling
Power system modeling
Safety
Software and its engineering > Software creation and management > Software development process management
Software and its engineering > Software creation and management > Software verification and validation > Formal software verification
Software and its engineering > Software creation and management > Software verification and validation > Software defect analysis > Software testing and debugging
Software and its engineering > Software organization and properties > Software functional properties > Formal methods > Software verification
Software engineering
Software systems
Theory of computation > Semantics and reasoning > Program reasoning > Program verification
interface extension
refinement
system modeling/verification
specialization by inheritance
simulation
ISBN:1581132069, 9781581132069
ISSN:0270-5257
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:This paper presents a technique for incrementally constructing safety specifications, abstract algorithm descriptions, and simulation proofs showing that algorithms meet their specifications. The technique for building specifications (and algorithms) allows a child specification (or algorithm) to inherit from its parent by two forms of incremental modification: (a) interface extension, where new forms of interaction are added to the parent's interface, and (b) specialization (subtyping), where new data, restrictions, and effects are added to the parent's behavior description. The combination of interface extension and specialization constitutes a powerful and expressive incremental modification mechanism for describing changes that do not override the behavior of the parent, although it may introduce new behavior. Consider the case when incremental modification is applied to both a parent specification S and a parent algorithm A. A proof that the child algorithm A′ implements the child specification S′ can be built incrementally upon simulation proof that algorithm A implements specification S. The new work required involves reasoning about the modifications, but does not require repetition of the reasoning in the original simulation proof. The paper presents the technique mathematically, in terms of automata. The technique has already been used to model and validate a full-fledged group communication system (see [26]); the methodology and results of that experiment are summarized in this paper.
Bibliography:SourceType-Scholarly Journals-2
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ISBN:1581132069
9781581132069
ISSN:0270-5257
DOI:10.1145/337180.337358