Formal methods in the THETA kernel

Abstract

THETA is a secure distributed operating system designed to run on a variety of hardware platforms. We are currently undertaking an effort to formally specify and implement a new THETA kernel to improve its security properties and to increase its portability. We used a number of "formal methods" tools in developing the specification and analyzing its implementation. The report presents an overview of the THETA kernel architecture, then discusses the methods and tools that we used to develop it. We include a critique of the tools and a discussion of the relative merits of using Ada and C to implement complex secure systems.<>