Homogeneous Equations of Algebraic Petri Nets

Algebraic Petri nets are a formalism for modeling distributed systems and algorithms, describing control and data flow by combining Petri nets and algebraic specification. One way to specify correctness of an algebraic Petri net model "N" is to specify a linear equation "E" over the places of "N" based on term substitution, and coefficients from an abelian group "G". Then, "E" is valid in "N" iff "E" is valid in each reachable marking of "N". Due to the expressive power of Algebraic Petri nets, validity is generally undecidable. Stable linear equations form a class of linear equations for which validity is decidable. Place invariants yield a well-understood but incomplete characterization of all stable linear equations. In this paper, we provide a complete characterization of stability for the subclass of homogeneous linear equations, by restricting ourselves to the interpretation of terms over the Herbrand structure without considering further equality axioms. Based thereon, we show that stability is decidable for homogeneous linear equations if "G" is a cyclic group

Algebraic High-Level Nets and Processes Applied to Communication Platforms

Petri nets are well-known to model communication structures and algebraic specifications for modeling data types. Algebraic High-Level (AHL) nets are defined as integration of Petri nets with algebraic data types, which allows to model the communication structure and the data flow within one modelling framework. Transformations of AHL-nets – inspired by the theory of graph transformations – allow in addition to modify the communication structure. Moreover, highlevel processes of AHL-nets capture the concurrent semantics of AHL-nets in an adequate way. Altogether we obtain a powerful integrated formal specification technique to model and analyse all kinds of communication based systems. In this paper we give a comprehensive introduction of this framework. This includes main results concerning parallel independence of AHL-transformations and the transformation and amalgamation of AHL-occurrence nets and processes. Moreover, we show how this can be applied to model and analyse modern communication and collaboration platforms like Google Wave and Wikis. Especially we show how the Local Church-Rosser theorem for AHL-net tranformations can be applied to ensure the consistent integration of different platform evolutions. Moreover, the amalgamation theorem for AHL-processes shows under which conditions we can amalgamate waves of different Google Wave platforms in a compositional way

Process Evolution based on Transformation of Algebraic High-Level Nets with Applications to Communication Platforms

Algebraic High-Level (AHL) nets are a well-known modelling technique based on Petri nets with algebraic data types, which allows to model the communication structure and the data flow within one modelling framework. Transformations of AHL-nets – inspired by the theory of graph transformations – allow in addition to modify the communication structure. Moreover, high-level processes of AHL-nets capture the concurrent semantics of AHL-nets in an adequate way. In this paper we show how to model the evolution of communication platforms and scenarios based on transformations of algebraic high-level nets and processes. All constructions and results are illustrated by a running example showing the evolution of Apache Wave platforms and scenarios. The evolution of platforms is modelled by the transformation of AHL-nets and that of scenarios by the transformation of AHL-net processes.Our main result is a construction for the evolution of AHL-processes based on the evolution of the corresponding AHL-net. This result can be used to transform scenarios in a communication platform according to the evolution of possibly multiple actions of the platform

Modelling Evolution of Communication Platforms and Scenarios based on Transformations of High-Level Nets and Processes : Extended Version

Algebraic High-Level (AHL) nets are a well-known modelling technique based on Petri nets with algebraic data types, which allows to model the communication structure and the data flow within one modelling framework. Transformations of AHL-nets – inspired by the theory of graph transformations – allow in addition to modify the communication structure. Moreover, high-level processes of AHL-nets capture the concurrent semantics of AHL-nets in an adequate way. Altogether we obtain a powerful integrated formal specification technique to model and analyse all kinds of communication based systems, especially different kinds of communication platforms. In this paper we show how to model the evolution of communication platforms and scenarios based on transformations of Algebraic High-Level Nets and Processes. All constructions and results are illustrated by a running example showing the evolution of Apache Wave platforms and scenarios. The evolution of platforms is modelled by the transformation of AHL-nets and that of scenarios by the transformation of AHL-net processes. The first main result shows under which conditions AHL-net processes can be extended if the corresponding AHL-net is transformed. This result can be applied to show the extension of scenarios for a given platform evolution. The second main result shows how AHL-net processes can be transformed based on a special kind of transformation for AHL-nets, corresponding to action evolution of platforms. Finally, we briefly discuss the case of multiple action evolutions

Graph models for reachability analysis of concurrent programs

Reachability analysis is an attractive technique for analysis of concurrent programs because it is simple and relatively straightforward to automate, and can be used in conjunction with model-checking procedures to check for application-specific as well as general properties. Several techniques have been proposed differing mainly on the model used; some of these propose the use of flowgraph based models, some others of Petri nets.This paper addresses the question: What essential difference does it make, if any, what sort of finite-state model we extract from program texts for purposes of reachability analysis? How do they differ in expressive power, decision power, or accuracy? Since each is intended to model synchronization structure while abstracting away other features, one would expect them to be roughly equivalent.We confirm that there is no essential semantic difference between the most well known models proposed in the literature by providing algorithms for translation among these models. This implies that the choice of model rests on other factors, including convenience and efficiency.Since combinatorial explosion is the primary impediment to application of reachability analysis, a particular concern in choosing a model is facilitating divide-and-conquer analysis of large programs. Recently, much interest in finite-state verification systems has centered on algebraic theories of concurrency. Yeh and Young have exploited algebraic structure to decompose reachability analysis based on a flowgraph model. The semantic equivalence of graph and Petri net based models suggests that one ought to be able to apply a similar strategy for decomposing Petri nets. We show this is indeed possible through application of category theory

Functorial Semantics for Petri Nets under the Individual Token Philosophy

Although the algebraic semantics of place/transition Petri nets under the collective token philosophy has been fully explained in terms of (strictly) symmetric (strict) monoidal categories, the analogous construction under the individual token philosophy is not completely satisfactory because it lacks universality and also functoriality. We introduce the notion of pre-net to recover these aspects, obtaining a fully satisfactory categorical treatment centered on the notion of adjunction. This allows us to present a purely logical description of net behaviours under the individual token philosophy in terms of theories and theory morphisms in partial membership equational logic, yielding a complete match with the theory developed by the authors for the collective token view of net

A Comparison of Petri Net Semantics under the Collective Token Philosophy

In recent years, several semantics for place/transition Petri nets have been proposed that adopt the collective token philosophy. We investigate distinctions and similarities between three such models, namely configuration structures, concurrent transition systems, and (strictly) symmetric (strict) monoidal categories. We use the notion of adjunction to express each connection. We also present a purely logical description of the collective token interpretation of net behaviours in terms of theories and theory morphisms in partial membership equational logic

On the Model of Computation of Place/Transition Petri Nets

In the last few years, the semantics of Petri nets has been investigated in several different ways. Apart from the classical "token game", one can model the behaviour of Petri nets via non-sequential processes, via unfolding constructions, which provide formal relationships between nets and domains, and via algebraic models, which view Petri nets as essentially algebraic theories whose models are monoidal categories. In this paper we show that these three points of view can be reconciled. More precisely, we introduce the new notion of decorated processes of Petri nets and we show that they induce on nets the same semantics as that of unfolding. In addition, we prove that the decorated processes of a net N can be axiomatized as the arrows of a symmetric monoidal category which, therefore, provides the aforesaid unification