Proving and Computing: Applying Automated Reasoning to the Verification of Symbolic Computation Systems

The application of automated reasoning to the formal verification of symbolic computation systems is motivated by the need of ensuring the correctness of the results computed by the system, beyond the classical approach of testing. Formal verification of properties of the implemented algorithms require not only to formalize the properties of the algorithm, but also of the underlying (usually rich) mathematical theory. We show how we can use ACL2, a first-order interactive theorem prover, to reason about properties of algorithms that are typically implemented as part of symbolic computation systems. We emphasize two aspects. First, how we can override the apparent lack of expressiveness we have using a first-order approach (at least compared to higher-order logics). Second, how we can execute the algorithms (efficiently, if possible) in the same setting where we formally reason about their correctness. Three examples of formal verification of symbolic computation algorithms are presented to illustrate the main issues one has to face in this task: a Gr¨obner basis algorithm, a first-order unification algorithm based on directed acyclic graphs, and the Eilenberg-Zilber algorithm, one of the central components of a symbolic computation system in algebraic topology

CASL for CafeOBJ Users

Casl is an expressive language for the algebraic specificationof software requirements, design, and architecture. It has been developed by an open collaborative effort called CoFI (Common Framework Initiative for algebraic specification and development). Casl combines the best features of many previous main-stream algebraic specification languages, and it should provide a focus for future research and development in the use of algebraic techniques, as well facilitating interoperability ofexisting and future tools. This paper presents Casl for users of the CafeOBJ framework, focusing on the relationship between the two languages. It first considers those constructs of CafeOBJ that have direct counterparts in Casl, and then (briefly) those that do not. It also motivates various Casl constructsthat are not provided by CafeOBJ. Finally, it gives a concise overview of Casl, and illustrates how some CafeOBJ specifications may be expressed in Casl

Formal methods for software security (invited talk)

National audienc

From SOS to Asynchronously Communicating Actors

Structural Operational Semantics (SOS) provides a general format to describe a model as a transition system with very powerful synchronization mechanisms. Actor systems are distributed, asynchronously communicating units of computation with encapsulated state, with much weaker means of synchronizing between actors. In this paper, we discuss an implementation of a SOS model using actors in the object-oriented actor language ABS and how to argue that global properties about the model are inherited from the SOS level to the actor implementation. The work stems from a case study modelling the memory system of a cache-coherent multicore architecture

07061 Abstracts Collection -- Autonomous and Adaptive Web Services

From 4.2.2007 to 9.2.2007, the Dagstuhl Seminar 07061 ``Autonomous and Adaptive Web Services\u27\u27 was held in the International Conference and Research Center (IBFI), Schloss Dagstuhl. During the seminar, several participants presented their current research, and ongoing work and open problems were discussed. Abstracts of the presentations given during the seminar as well as abstracts of seminar results and ideas are put together in this paper. The first section describes the seminar topics and goals in general. Links to extended abstracts or full papers are provided, if available

Aspect-Oriented Programming

Aspect-oriented programming is a promising idea that can improve the quality of software by reduce the problem of code tangling and improving the separation of concerns. At ECOOP'97, the first AOP workshop brought together a number of researchers interested in aspect-orientation. At ECOOP'98, during the second AOP workshop the participants reported on progress in some research topics and raised more issues that were further discussed. \ud \ud This year, the ideas and concepts of AOP have been spread and adopted more widely, and, accordingly, the workshop received many submissions covering areas from design and application of aspects to design and implementation of aspect languages

Formalizing the Metatheory of Logical Calculi and Automatic Provers in Isabelle/HOL (Invited Talk)

International audienceIsaFoL (Isabelle Formalization of Logic) is an undertaking that aims at developing formal theories about logics, proof systems, and automatic provers, using Isabelle/HOL. At the heart of the project is the conviction that proof assistants have become mature enough to actually help researchers in automated reasoning when they develop new calculi and tools. In this paper, I describe and reflect on three verification subprojects to which I contributed: a first-order resolution prover, an imperative SAT solver, and generalized term orders for λ-free higher-order logic

Towards a K Semantics for OCL

International audienceWe give a formal definition to a significant subset of the Object Constraint Language (OCL) in the K framework. The chosen subset includes the usual arithmetical, Boolean (including quantifiers), and string expressions; collection expressions (including iterators and navigation); and pre/post conditions for methods. Being executable, our definition provides us, for free, with an interpreter for the chosen subset of OCL. It can be used for free in K definitions of languages having OCL as a component We illustrate some of the advantages of K by comparing our semantical definition of OCL with the official semantics from the language's standard. We also report on a tool implementing our definition that users can try online.Nous donnons une sémantique à un sous-ensemble significatif du langage OCL (Object Constraint Langage) dans le cadre formel K. Le sous-ensemble choisi inclut les expressions habituelles arithmétiques, logiques (y compris avec quantifications), et de type chaîne de caractères; les expressions de type collection (y compris les itérateurs et la navigation); et les pre/post conditions pour les méthodes des classes. Notre définition est exécutable et produit par construction un interpréteur pour le sous-ensemble d'OCL choisi. L'interpréteur peut être inclus comme composante dans d'autre langages définis en K qui incluent OCL en tant que sous-langage. Nous illustrons les avantages de notre sémantique en la comparant avec la sémantique issue de la norme (standard) OCL. Enfin, nous présentons un outil, disponible en ligne, qui implémente notre approche