Interactive Petri net simulation

Abstract

A Petri net can provide a graphical model of a concurrent system. They have been used to model such varied systems as resource control, communication networks and manufacturing processes. Computer Science students will, hopefully, learn the theory of Petri nets in a discrete mathematics course or a course on theoretical foundations of Computer Science. They may even see a graph of a sample net in a textbook, but it is unlikely they will have a chance to experiment with a "live" net. The Interactive Petri Net Simulator (IPNetS) described in this paper provides an easy point-and-click environment for students to design, modify, examine, and execute a Petri net. In seconds any simple Petri net can be created and animated. IPNetS provides display, file handling, and user control functions while a separate execution unit does the actual execution of the net. This flexible design allows for easy experimentation with different execution units and different types of nets. An Ada and a C++ execution unit are contrasted.