Work

Parameterized Verification of Leader/Follower Systems via Arithmetic Constraints

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: We introduce a variant of a formalism appearing in recent work geared towards modelling systems in which a distinguished entity (leader) orchestrates the operation of an arbitrary number of identical entities (followers). Our variant is better suited for the verification of system properties involving complex arithmetic conditions. Whereas the original formalism is translated into a tractable fragment of first-order temporal logic, aiming to utilize automated (first-order temporal logic) theorem provers for verification, our variant is translated into linear integer arithmetic, aiming to utilize satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solvers for verification. In particular, for any given system specified in our formalism, we prove, for any natural numbern, the existence of a linear integer arithmetic formula whose models are in one-to-one correspondence with certain counting abstractions (profiles) of executions of the system forntime steps. Thus, one is able to verify, for any natural numbern, that all executions forntime steps of any such system have a given property by establishing that said formula logically entails the property. To highlight the practical utility of our approach, we specify and verify three consensus protocols, actively used in distributed database systems and low-power wireless networks.

Source: IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering

DOI: 10.1109/tse.2024.3440587

Authors: Georgios Kourtis, Clare Dixon, Michael Fisher

Institution: University of Manchester

Language: English

Topic: Formal Methods in Verification

Subfield: Computational Theory and Mathematics

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,495

Funders: UK Research and Innovation, Royal Academy of Engineering, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council