A tool for a formal pattern modeling language

This paper presents a formal but practical approach for defining and using design patterns. Initially we formalize the concepts commonly used in defining design patterns using Object-Z. We also formalize consistency constraints that must be satisfied when a pattern is deployed in a design model. Then we implement the pattern modeling language and its consistency constraints using an existing modeling framework, EMF, and incorporate the implementation as plug-ins to the Eclipse modeling environment. While the language is defined formally in terms of Object-Z definitions, the language is implemented in a practical environment. Using the plug-ins, users can develop precise pattern descriptions without knowing the underlying formalism, and can use the tool to check the validity of the pattern descriptions and pattern usage in design models. In this work, formalism brings precision to the pattern language definition and its implementation brings practicability to our pattern-based modeling approach.

Formal considerations of rule-based messaging for Business Process Integration

In the last decade, with the expansion of organizational scope and the tendency for outsourcing, there has been an increasing need for Business Process Integration (BPI), understood as the sharing of data and applications among business processes. The research efforts and development paths in BPI pursued by many academic groups and system vendors, targeting heterogeneous system integration, continue to face several conceptual and technological challenges. This article begins with a brief review of major approaches and emerging standards to address BPI. Further, we introduce a rule-driven messaging approach to BPI, which is based on the harmonization of messages in order to compose a new, often cross-organizational process. We will then introduce the design of a temporal first order language (Harmonized Messaging Calculus) that provides the formal foundation for general rules governing the business process execution. Definitions of the language terms, formulae, safety, and expressiveness are introduced and considered in detail.

A formal framework for modelling and analysing mobile systems

This paper presents a formal framework for modelling and analysing mobile systems. The framework comprises a collection of models of the dominant design paradigms which are readily extended to incorporate details of particular technologies, i.e., programming languages and their run-time support, and applications. The modelling language is Object-Z, an extension of the well-known Z specification language with explicit support for object-oriented concepts. Its support for object orientation makes Object-Z particularly suited to our task. The system structuring techniques offered by object-orientation are well suited to modelling mobile systems. In addition, inheritance and polymorphism allow us to exploit commonalities in mobile systems by defining more complex models in terms of simpler ones.

A formal object-oriented approach to defining consistency constraints for UML models

We discuss how integrity consistency constraints between different UML models can be precisely defined at a language level. In doing so, we introduce a formal object-oriented metamodeling approach. In the approach, integrity consistency constraints between UML models are defined in terms of invariants of the UML model elements used to define the models at the language-level. Adopting a formal approach, constraints are formally defined using Object-Z. We demonstrate how integrity consistency constraints for UML models can be precisely defined at the language-level and once completed, the formal description of the consistency constraints will be a precise reference of checking consistency of UML models as well as for tool development.

Formal verification of type flaw attacks in security protocols

Security protocols are often modelled at a high level of abstraction, potentially overlooking implementation-dependent vulnerabilities. Here we use the Z specification language's rich set of data structures to formally model potentially ambiguous messages that may be exploited in a 'type flaw' attack. We then show how to formally verify whether or not such an attack is actually possible in a particular protocol using Z's schema calculus.

Formal verification of ASM designs using the MDG tool

In this paper, we present a formal hardware verification framework linking ASM with MDG. ASM (Abstract State Machine) is a state based language for describing transition systems. MDG (Multiway Decision Graphs) provides symbolic representation of transition systems with support of abstract sorts and functions. We implemented a transformation tool that automatically generates MDG models from ASM specifications, then formal verification techniques provided by the MDG tool, such as model checking or equivalence checking, can be applied on the generated models. We support this work with a case study of an Island Tunnel Controller, which behavior and structure were specified in ASM then using our ASM-MDG tool successfully verified within the MDG tool.