Formal verification of infinite-state BIP models

We propose two expressive and complementary techniques for the verification of safety properties of infinite-state BIP models. Both our techniques deal with the full BIP specification, while the existing approaches impose con- siderable restrictions: they either verify finite-state systems or they do not handle the transfer of data on the interactions and priorities. Firstly, we propose an instantiation of the ESST (Explicit Scheduler Symbolic Thread) framework to verify BIP models. The key insight is to apply symbolic reasoning to analyze the behavior of the system described by the BIP compo- nents, and an explicit-state search to analyze the behavior of the system induced by the BIP interactions and priorities. The combination of symbolic and explicit exploration techniques allow to benefit from abstraction, useful when reasoning about data, and from partial order reduction, useful to mitigate the state space explosion due to concurrency. Secondly, we propose an encoding from a BIP model into a symbolic, infinite- state transition system. This technique allows us to leverage the state of the art verification algorithms for the analysis of infinite-state systems. We implemented both techniques and we evaluated their performance against the existing approaches. The results show the effectiveness of our approaches with respect to the state of the art, and their complementarity for the analysis of safe and unsafe BIP models

Parameterized Systems in BIP: Design and Model Checking

BIP is a component-based framework for system design that has important industrial applications. BIP is built on three pillars: behavior, interaction, and priority. In this paper, we introduce first-order interaction logic (FOIL) that extends BIP to systems parameterized in the number of components. We show that FOIL captures classical parameterized architectures such as token-passing rings, cliques of identical components communicating with rendezvous or broadcast, and client-server systems. Although the BIP framework includes efficient verification tools for statically-defined systems, none are available for parameterized systems with an unbounded number of components. The parameterized model checking literature contains a wealth of techniques for systems of classical architectures. However, application of these results requires a deep understanding of parameterized model checking techniques and their underlying mathematical models. To overcome these difficulties, we introduce a framework that automatically identifies parameterized model checking techniques applicable to a BIP design. To our knowledge, it is the first framework that allows one to apply prominent parameterized model checking results in a systematic way

Relating BIP and Reo

Coordination languages simplify design and development of concurrent systems. Particularly, exogenous coordination languages, like BIP and Reo, enable system designers to express the interactions among components in a system explicitly. In this paper we establish a formal relation between BI(P) (i.e., BIP without the priority layer) and Reo, by defining transformations between their semantic models. We show that these transformations preserve all properties expressible in a common semantics. This formal relation comprises the basis for a solid comparison and consolidation of the fundamental coordination concepts behind these two languages. Moreover, this basis offers translations that enable users of either language to benefit from the toolchains of the other.Comment: In Proceedings ICE 2015, arXiv:1508.0459

Formal Verification of Functional Requirements for Smart Contract Compositions in Supply Chain Management Systems

The smart contract technology has increasingly attracted the attention of different industries. However, a significant number of smart contracts deployed in practice suffer from several bugs, which enable malicious users to cause damage. The research community has shifted their focus to verifying the correctness of smart contracts using model checkers and formal verification methods. The majority of the research investigates the correctness of systems built on one smart contract. This paper proposes a verification approach for systems composed of interacting smart contracts developed and controlled by different entities. We use the NuSMV model checker and the Behavioral Interaction Priority tool to model the behaviors of smart contracts and their interactions with the aim of verifying their compliance with the systems’ functional requirements. These requirements are formalized by Linear Temporal Logic propositions. The applicability of our approach is illustrated using a case study from The American Petroleum Institute and implemented using Hyperledger Fabric