基于一阶迁移系统的限界模型检测工具实现

基于布尔可满足性(SAT)的限界模型检测是一种高效的模型检测方法，它具有快速查错，反例最小化等特点，已经成为学术界和工业界关注的热点。近些年出现了很多集成限界模型检测算法的验证工具，如ITC-IRST、卡内基梅隆大学(CMU)等多家科研机构联合开发的NuSMV工具；加利福尼亚大学伯克莱分校(UC Berkeley)、科罗拉多大学博尔德分校(CU Boulder)联合开发的VIS工具等。因此目前对于限界模型检测方法的研究和相关工具的设计与开发具有重要而广泛的意义。在进行限界模型检测的建模过程中，不同的工具采用了自定义的建模语言。如经典工具SPIN采用的建模语言是Promela语言，NuSMV采用的是自定义的NuSMV语言。随着系统验证规模的不断增大，建模语言的特点将会直接影响到建模的效率。例如采用NuSMV语言去建立一个网络通信协议模型会显得比较复杂和耗时，应用NuSMV语言去描述一个简单的数据链路层网络协议ABP协议(Alternating Bit Protocol)就不如采用Promela语言去描述显得直观和自然。 为了简化在限界模型检测过程中模型的建立过程，本文给出了一种采用基于一阶迁移系统语言描述的模型建立方法，并在一阶迁移系统语言中实现了通道的功能，从而增强了描述能力。在此基础上完成了一个以基于插值和k步归纳限界验证算法为核心的模型检测工具(BMCF)。最后利用该工具对常见的互斥协议，简单数据传输协议的性质进行了分析与验证。结果表明，利用该工具对系统进行建模具有方便直观的特点，并借助实现的验证算法能高效的检验安全性质的正确性，如果性质不成立工具会给出反例提示。

Formal verification of safety protocol in train control system

In order to satisfy the safety-critical requirements, the train control system (TCS) often employs a layered safety communication protocol to provide reliable services. However, both description and verification of the safety protocols may be formidable due to the system complexity. In this paper, interface automata (IA) are used to describe the safety service interface behaviors of safety communication protocol. A formal verification method is proposed to describe the safety communication protocols using IA and translate IA model into PROMELA model so that the protocols can be verified by the model checker SPIN. A case study of using this method to describe and verify a safety communication protocol is included. The verification results illustrate that the proposed method is effective to describe the safety protocols and verify deadlocks, livelocks and several mandatory consistency properties. A prototype of safety protocols is also developed based on the presented formally verifying method.

Refinement methods for software architecture design using the software architecture model

Modern software systems are often large and complicated. To better understand, develop, and manage large software systems, researchers have studied software architectures that provide the top level overall structural design of software systems for the last decade. One major research focus on software architectures is formal architecture description languages, but most existing research focuses primarily on the descriptive capability and puts less emphasis on software architecture design methods and formal analysis techniques, which are necessary to develop correct software architecture design. ^ Refinement is a general approach of adding details to a software design. A formal refinement method can further ensure certain design properties. This dissertation proposes refinement methods, including a set of formal refinement patterns and complementary verification techniques, for software architecture design using Software Architecture Model (SAM), which was developed at Florida International University. First, a general guideline for software architecture design in SAM is proposed. Second, specification construction through property-preserving refinement patterns is discussed. The refinement patterns are categorized into connector refinement, component refinement and high-level Petri nets refinement. These three levels of refinement patterns are applicable to overall system interaction, architectural components, and underlying formal language, respectively. Third, verification after modeling as a complementary technique to specification refinement is discussed. Two formal verification tools, the Stanford Temporal Prover (STeP) and the Simple Promela Interpreter (SPIN), are adopted into SAM to develop the initial models. Fourth, formalization and refinement of security issues are studied. A method for security enforcement in SAM is proposed. The Role-Based Access Control model is formalized using predicate transition nets and Z notation. The patterns of enforcing access control and auditing are proposed. Finally, modeling and refining a life insurance system is used to demonstrate how to apply the refinement patterns for software architecture design using SAM and how to integrate the access control model. ^ The results of this dissertation demonstrate that a refinement method is an effective way to develop a high assurance system. The method developed in this dissertation extends existing work on modeling software architectures using SAM and makes SAM a more usable and valuable formal tool for software architecture design. ^

An approach for design and analysis of User-centric Communication Middleware

Today, the development of domain-specific communication applications is both time-consuming and error-prone because the low-level communication services provided by the existing systems and networks are primitive and often heterogeneous. Multimedia communication applications are typically built on top of low-level network abstractions such as TCP/UDP socket, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) and RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) APIs. The User-centric Communication Middleware (UCM) is proposed to encapsulate the networking complexity and heterogeneity of basic multimedia and multi-party communication for upper-layer communication applications. And UCM provides a unified user-centric communication service to diverse communication applications ranging from a simple phone call and video conferencing to specialized communication applications like disaster management and telemedicine. It makes it easier to the development of domain-specific communication applications. The UCM abstraction and API is proposed to achieve these goals. The dissertation also tries to integrate the formal method into UCM development process. The formal model is created for UCM using SAM methodology. Some design errors are found during model creation because the formal method forces to give the precise description of UCM. By using the SAM tool, formal UCM model is translated to Promela formula model. In the dissertation, some system properties are defined as temporal logic formulas. These temporal logic formulas are manually translated to promela formulas which are individually integrated with promela formula model of UCM and verified using SPIN tool. Formal analysis used here helps verify the system properties (for example multiparty multimedia protocol) and dig out the bugs of systems.

A nested Petri net framework for modeling and analyzing multi-agent systems

In the past two decades, multi-agent systems (MAS) have emerged as a new paradigm for conceptualizing large and complex distributed software systems. A multi-agent system view provides a natural abstraction for both the structure and the behavior of modern-day software systems. Although there were many conceptual frameworks for using multi-agent systems, there was no well established and widely accepted method for modeling multi-agent systems. This dissertation research addressed the representation and analysis of multi-agent systems based on model-oriented formal methods. The objective was to provide a systematic approach for studying MAS at an early stage of system development to ensure the quality of design. ^ Given that there was no well-defined formal model directly supporting agent-oriented modeling, this study was centered on three main topics: (1) adapting a well-known formal model, predicate transition nets (PrT nets), to support MAS modeling; (2) formulating a modeling methodology to ease the construction of formal MAS models; and (3) developing a technique to support machine analysis of formal MAS models using model checking technology. PrT nets were extended to include the notions of dynamic structure, agent communication and coordination to support agent-oriented modeling. An aspect-oriented technique was developed to address the modularity of agent models and compositionality of incremental analysis. A set of translation rules were defined to systematically translate formal MAS models to concrete models that can be verified through the model checker SPIN (Simple Promela Interpreter). ^ This dissertation presents the framework developed for modeling and analyzing MAS, including a well-defined process model based on nested PrT nets, and a comprehensive methodology to guide the construction and analysis of formal MAS models.^

Un modèle de validation automatique de mécanismes de sécurisation des communications

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Un modèle de validation automatique de mécanismes de sécurisation des communications

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.