eprintid: 167
rev_number: 18
eprint_status: archive
userid: 30
dir: disk0/00/00/01/67
datestamp: 2011-05-17 13:54:29
lastmod: 2011-07-11 14:34:35
status_changed: 2011-05-17 13:54:29
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
item_issues_count: 0
creators_name: Edelkamp, Stefan
creators_name: Leue, Stefan
creators_name: Lluch-Lafuente, Alberto
creators_id: 
creators_id: 
creators_id: alberto.lluch@imtlucca.it
title: Directed explicit-state model checking in the validation of communication protocols
ispublished: pub
subjects: QA75
divisions: CSA
full_text_status: none
keywords: Directed Model Checking, Trail-directed
Model Checking, Heuristic Search, Partial Order Reduction, HSF-SPIN
note: The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com
abstract: The success of model checking is largely based on its ability to efficiently locate errors in software designs. If an error is found, a model checker produces a trail that shows how the error state can be reached, which greatly facilitates debugging. However, while current model checkers find error states efficiently, the counterexamples are often unnecessarily lengthy, which hampers error explanation. This is due to the use of  naive  search algorithms in the state space exploration. In this paper we present approaches to the use of heuristic search algorithms in explicit-state model checking. We present the class of A * directed search algorithms and propose heuristics together with bitstate compression techniques for the search of safety property violations. We achieve great reductions in the length of the error trails, and in some instances render problems analyzable by exploring a much smaller number of states than standard depth-first search. We then suggest an improvement of the nested depth-first search algorithm and show how it can be used together with A * to improve the search for liveness property violations. Our approach to directed explicit-state model checking has been implemented in a tool set called HSF-SPIN. We provide experimental results from the protocol validation domain using HSF-SPIN.
date: 2004
date_type: published
publication: International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer (STTT)
volume: 5
number: 2-3
publisher: Springer
pagerange: 247-267
id_number: 10.1007/s10009-002-0104-3
refereed: TRUE
issn: 1433-2779
official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10009-002-0104-3
citation:   Edelkamp, Stefan and Leue, Stefan and Lluch-Lafuente, Alberto  Directed explicit-state model checking in the validation of communication protocols.  International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer (STTT), 5 (2-3).  pp. 247-267.  ISSN 1433-2779      (2004)