Formal Verification of AADL Models Using UPPAAL

VII Brazilian Symposium on Computing Systems Engineering (SBESC 2017), Session 10: Development and Tools - B, .Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are known to be highly complex systems which can be applied to a variety of different environments, covering both civil and military application domains. As CPS are typically complex systems, its design process requires strong guarantees that the specified functional and non-functional properties are satisfied on the designed application. Model-Driven Engineering (MDE) and high-level specification languages are a valuable asset to help the design and evaluation of such complex systems. However, when looking at the existing MDE tool-support, it is observed that there is still little support for the automated integration of formal verification techniques in these tools. Given that formal verification is necessary to ensure the levels of reliability required by safety critical CPS, this paper presents an approach that aims to integrate the Model Checking technique in the CPS design process for the purpose of correctly analyzing temporal and safety characteristics. A tool named ECPS Verifier was designed to support the model checking integration into the design process, providing the generation of timed automata models from high-levels specifications in AADL. The proposed method is illustrated by means of the design of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, from where we derive the timed automata models to be analyzed in the UPPAAL tool.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Combining SysML and AADL for the design, validation and implementation of critical systems

The realization of critical systems goes through multiple phases of specification, design, integration, validation, and testing. It starts from high-level sketches down to the final product. Model-Based Design has been acknowledged as a good conveyor to capture these steps. Yet, there is no universal solution to represent all activities. Two candidates are the OMG-based SysML to perform high-level modeling tasks, and the SAE AADL to perform lower-level ones, down to the implementation. The paper shares an experience on the seamless use of SysML and the AADL to model, validate/verify and implement a flight management system

Safety-Assured Model-Based Development of Real-Time Embedded Software for the Gpca Infusion Pump

Many safety-critical embedded systems must meet safety requirements associated with timing constraints. Not only shall a system read/write correct input or output values, but also those operations shall be performed with the right timing. Failing to meet those timing constraints results in serious safety issues (e.g., medical device malfunctions may harm patients). It is difficult to develop complex embedded software in a correct way without rigorous and systematic handling of various sources that affect the timed behavior of a system. We propose the model-based development framework that enables timing aspects of a system to be formally modeled, verified, and further implemented in a systematic way. The fundamental idea is to separate the timing concerns of the platform-independent and the platform-dependent aspects of a system. In the platform-independent development phase, input and output timed interactions between a system and its environment is modeled and verified using state-transition formalism (e.g., UPPAAL) by hiding platform-dependent timing details. In the platform-dependent development phase, such platform-dependent timing details are modeled using architectural modeling languages (e.g., AADL) that are necessary to execute the platform-independent code on a particular platform, such as internal interactions among software components (e.g., threads) and hardware components (e.g., sensors and actuators). The platform-independent code and the platform-dependent code are independently developed from the different levels of timing abstractions, and composed together in the integration phase. In this phase, we propose a way to systematically extend the platform-independent model into different platform-specific models, which formally characterize the implementation-level timed behavior that can be verified for timing requirement conformance. In case this verification step fails, we propose a way to adjust the timing parameters of the platform-independent code by compensating for the platform-dependent processing delays in such a way that the resulting implementation meets the timing requirements verified in the platform-independent model. Applicability of this development approach was demonstrated by developing software running on several Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) infusion pump systems. We hope that this approach is also applicable to other safety-critical domains where generic software needs to be developed independently of a particular platform, and integrated with many different platforms in a way that conforms to timing requirements

Exploring AADL verification tool through model transformation

International audienceArchitecture Analysis and Design Language (AADL) is often used to model safety-critical real-time systems. Model transformation is widely used to extract a formal specification so that AADL models can be verified and analyzed by existing tools. Timed Abstract State Machine (TASM) is a formalism not only able to specify behavior and communication but also timing and resource aspects of the system. To verify functional and nonfunctional properties of AADL models, this paper presents a methodology for translating AADL to TASM. Our main contribution is to formally define the translation rules from an adequate subset of AADL (including thread component, port communication, behavior annex and mode change) into TASM. Based on these rules, a tool called AADL2TASM is implemented using Atlas Transformation Language (ATL). Finally, a case study from an actual data processing unit of a satellite is provided to validate the transformation and illustrate the practicality of the approach

Towards Multidimensional Verification: Where Functional Meets Non-Functional

Trends in advanced electronic systems' design have a notable impact on design verification technologies. The recent paradigms of Internet-of-Things (IoT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) assume devices immersed in physical environments, significantly constrained in resources and expected to provide levels of security, privacy, reliability, performance and low power features. In recent years, numerous extra-functional aspects of electronic systems were brought to the front and imply verification of hardware design models in multidimensional space along with the functional concerns of the target system. However, different from the software domain such a holistic approach remains underdeveloped. The contributions of this paper are a taxonomy for multidimensional hardware verification aspects, a state-of-the-art survey of related research works and trends towards the multidimensional verification concept. The concept is motivated by an example for the functional and power verification dimensions.Comment: 2018 IEEE Nordic Circuits and Systems Conference (NORCAS): NORCHIP and International Symposium of System-on-Chip (SoC

Linking Abstract Analysis to Concrete Design: A Hierarchical Approach to Verify Medical CPS Safety

Complex cyber-physical systems are typically hierarchically organized into multiple layers of abstraction in order to manage design complexity and provide verification tractability. Formal reasoning about such systems, therefore, necessarily involves the use of multiple modeling formalisms, verification paradigms, and concomitant tools, chosen as appropriate for the level of abstraction at which the analysis is performed. System properties verified using an abstract component specification in one paradigm must then be shown to logically follow from properties verified, possibly using a different paradigm, on a more concrete component description, if one is to claim that a particular component when deployed in the overall system context would still uphold the system properties. But, as component specifications at one layer get elaborated into more concrete component descriptions in the next, abstraction induced differences come to the fore, which have to be reconciled in some meaningful way. In this paper, we present our approach for providing a logical glue to tie distinct verification paradigms and reconcile the abstraction induced differences, to verify safety properties of a medical cyber-physical system. While the specifics are particular to the case example at hand - a high-level abstraction of a safety-interlock system to stop drug infusion along with a detailed design of a generic infusion pump - we believe the techniques are broadly applicable in similar situations for verifying complex cyber-physical system properties

From AADL to Timed Abstract State Machines: A Verified Model Transformation

International audienceArchitecture Analysis and Design Language (AADL) is an architecture description language standard for embedded real-time systems widely used in the avionics and aerospace industry to model safety-critical applications. To verify and analyze the AADL models, model transformation technologies are often used to automatically extract a formal specification suitable for analysis and verification. In this process, it remains a challenge to prove that the model transformation preserves the semantics of the initial AADL model or, at least, some of the specific properties or requirements it needs to satisfy. This paper presents a machine checked semantics-preserving transformation of a subset of AADL (including periodic threads, data port communications, mode changes, and the AADL behavior annex) into Timed Abstract State Machines (TASM). The AADL standard itself lacks at present a formal semantics to make this translation validation possible. Our contribution is to bridge this gap by providing two formal semantics for the subset of AADL. The execution semantics provided by the AADL standard is formalized as Timed Transition Systems (TTS). This formalization gives a reference expression of AADL semantics which can be compared with the TASM-based translation (for verification purpose). Finally, the verified transformation is mechanized in the theorem prover Coq

From AADL Model to LNT Specification

The verification of distributed real-time systems designed by architectural languages such as AADL (Architecture Analysis and Design Language) is a research challenge. These systems are often used in safety- critical domains where one mistake can result in physical damages and even life loss. In such domains, formal methods are a suitable solution for rigorous analysis. This paper studies the formal verification of distributed real-time systems modelled with AADL. We transform AADL model to another specification formalism enabling the verification. We choose LNT language which is an input to CADP toolbox for formal analysis. Then, we illustrate our approach with the ”Flight Control System” case study

Model Based Mission Assurance: NASA's Assurance Future

Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is seeing increased application in planning and design of NASAs missions. This suggests the question: what will be the corresponding practice of Model Based Mission Assurance (MBMA)? Contemporaneously, NASAs Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA) is evaluating a new objectives based approach to standards to ensure that the Safety and Mission Assurance disciplines and programs are addressing the challenges of NASAs changing missions, acquisition and engineering practices, and technology. MBSE is a prominent example of a changing engineering practice. We use NASAs objectives-based strategy for Reliability and Maintainability as a means to examine how MBSE will affect assurance. We surveyed MBSE literature to look specifically for these affects, and find a variety of them discussed (some are anticipated, some are reported from applications to date). Predominantly these apply to the early stages of design, although there are also extrapolations of how MBSE practices will have benefits for testing phases. As the effort to develop MBMA continues, it will need to clearly and unambiguously establish the roles of uncertainty and risk in the system model. This will enable a variety of uncertainty-based analyses to be performed much more rapidly than ever before and has the promise to increase the integration of CRM (Continuous Risk Management) and PRA (Probabilistic Risk Analyses) even more fully into the project development life cycle. Various views and viewpoints will be required for assurance disciplines, and an over-arching viewpoint will then be able to more completely characterize the state of the project/program as well as (possibly) enabling the safety case approach for overall risk awareness and communication