article

SAT-solving in CSP trace refinement

Authors:

Hristina Palikareva,

Joël Ouaknine,

A. W. RoscoeAuthors Info & Claims

Science of Computer Programming, Volume 77, Issue 10-11

Pages 1178 - 1197

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scico.2011.07.008

Published: 01 September 2012 Publication History

Abstract

In this paper, we address the problem of applying SAT-based bounded model checking (BMC) and temporal k-induction to asynchronous concurrent systems. We investigate refinement checking in the process-algebraic setting of Communicating Sequential Processes (CSP), focusing on the CSP traces model which is sufficient for verifying safety properties. We adapt the BMC framework to the context of CSP and the existing refinement checker FDR yielding bounded refinement checking which also lays the foundation for tailoring the k-induction technique. As refinement checking reduces to checking for reverse containment of possible behaviours, we exploit the SAT-solver to decide bounded language inclusion as opposed to bounded reachability of error states, as in most existing model checkers. Due to the harder problem to decide and the presence of invisible silent actions in process algebras, the original syntactic translation of BMC to SAT cannot be applied directly and we adopt a semantic translation algorithm based on watchdog transformations. We propose a Boolean encoding of CSP processes resting on FDR's hybrid two-level approach for calculating the operational semantics using supercombinators. We have implemented a prototype tool, SymFDR, written in C++, which uses FDR as a shared library for manipulating CSP processes and the state-of-the-art incremental SAT-solver MiniSAT 2.0. Experiments with BMC indicate that in some cases, especially in complex combinatorial problems, SymFDR significantly outperforms FDR and even copes with problems that are beyond FDR's capabilities. SymFDR in k-induction mode works reasonably well for small test cases, but is inefficient for larger ones as the threshold becomes too large, due to concurrency.

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Cited By

Antonino PGibson-Robinson TRoscoe A(2022)Approximate verification of concurrent systems using token structures and invariantsInternational Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer (STTT)10.1007/s10009-022-00650-624:4(613-633)Online publication date: 1-Aug-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10009-022-00650-6
Brookes SRoscoe A(2021)CSP: A Practical Process AlgebraTheories of Programming10.1145/3477355.3477365(187-222)Online publication date: 4-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3477355.3477365
Antonino PGibson-Robinson TRoscoe A(2019)Efficient Verification of Concurrent Systems Using Synchronisation Analysis and SAT/SMT SolvingACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology10.1145/333514928:3(1-43)Online publication date: 18-Jul-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3335149
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

SAT-solving in CSP trace refinement
1. Software and its engineering
  1. Software organization and properties
    1. Software functional properties
      1. Formal methods
        Model checking

Index terms have been assigned to the content through auto-classification.

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Published In

cover image Science of Computer Programming

Science of Computer Programming Volume 77, Issue 10-11

September, 2012

173 pages

ISSN:0167-6423

Issue’s Table of Contents

Copyright © Elsevier B.V. © 2011.

Publisher

Elsevier North-Holland, Inc.

United States

Publication History

Published: 01 September 2012

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Cited By

Antonino PGibson-Robinson TRoscoe A(2022)Approximate verification of concurrent systems using token structures and invariantsInternational Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer (STTT)10.1007/s10009-022-00650-624:4(613-633)Online publication date: 1-Aug-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10009-022-00650-6
Brookes SRoscoe A(2021)CSP: A Practical Process AlgebraTheories of Programming10.1145/3477355.3477365(187-222)Online publication date: 4-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3477355.3477365
Antonino PGibson-Robinson TRoscoe A(2019)Efficient Verification of Concurrent Systems Using Synchronisation Analysis and SAT/SMT SolvingACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology10.1145/333514928:3(1-43)Online publication date: 18-Jul-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3335149
Antonino PGibson-Robinson TRoscoe A(2019)Efficient verification of concurrent systems using local-analysis-based approximations and SAT solvingFormal Aspects of Computing10.1007/s00165-019-00483-231:3(375-409)Online publication date: 1-Jun-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s00165-019-00483-2
Situ LWang YGao FWang LBu LZhao JLi XMei HLv JJin ZLi X(2016)ACSPCheckerProceedings of the 8th Asia-Pacific Symposium on Internetware10.1145/2993717.2993730(99-102)Online publication date: 18-Sep-2016
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2993717.2993730
Mota AFarias AWoodcock JLarsen P(2015)Model checking CML: tool development and industrial applicationsFormal Aspects of Computing10.1007/s00165-015-0342-227:5-6(975-1001)Online publication date: 1-Nov-2015
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s00165-015-0342-2
Armstrong PGoldsmith MLowe GOuaknine JPalikareva HRoscoe AWorrell J(2012)Recent developments in FDRProceedings of the 24th international conference on Computer Aided Verification10.1007/978-3-642-31424-7_52(699-704)Online publication date: 7-Jul-2012
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/978-3-642-31424-7_52

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