{"title":"Auto-active verification of distributed systems and specification refinements with Why3-do","authors":"Cláudio Belo Lourenço , Jorge Sousa Pinto","doi":"10.1016/j.scico.2025.103352","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this paper, we introduce a novel approach for rigorously verifying safety properties of state machine specifications. Our method leverages an auto-active verifier and centers around the use of action functions annotated with contracts. These contracts facilitate inductive invariant checking, ensuring correctness during system execution. Our approach is further supported by the Why3-do library, which extends the Why3 tool's capabilities to verify concurrent and distributed algorithms using state machines.</div><div>Two distinctive features of Why3-do are: (i) it supports <em>specification refinement</em> through refinement mappings, enabling hierarchical reasoning about distributed algorithms; and (ii) it can be easily extended to make verifying specific classes of systems more convenient. In particular, the library contains models allowing for message-passing algorithms to be described with programmed <em>handlers</em>, assuming different network semantics.</div><div>A gallery of examples, all verified with Why3 using SMT solvers as proof tools, is also described in the paper. It contains several auto-actively verified concurrent and distributed algorithms, including the Paxos consensus algorithm.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49561,"journal":{"name":"Science of Computer Programming","volume":"247 ","pages":"Article 103352"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Science of Computer Programming","FirstCategoryId":"94","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167642325000917","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"COMPUTER SCIENCE, SOFTWARE ENGINEERING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In this paper, we introduce a novel approach for rigorously verifying safety properties of state machine specifications. Our method leverages an auto-active verifier and centers around the use of action functions annotated with contracts. These contracts facilitate inductive invariant checking, ensuring correctness during system execution. Our approach is further supported by the Why3-do library, which extends the Why3 tool's capabilities to verify concurrent and distributed algorithms using state machines.
Two distinctive features of Why3-do are: (i) it supports specification refinement through refinement mappings, enabling hierarchical reasoning about distributed algorithms; and (ii) it can be easily extended to make verifying specific classes of systems more convenient. In particular, the library contains models allowing for message-passing algorithms to be described with programmed handlers, assuming different network semantics.
A gallery of examples, all verified with Why3 using SMT solvers as proof tools, is also described in the paper. It contains several auto-actively verified concurrent and distributed algorithms, including the Paxos consensus algorithm.
期刊介绍:
Science of Computer Programming is dedicated to the distribution of research results in the areas of software systems development, use and maintenance, including the software aspects of hardware design.
The journal has a wide scope ranging from the many facets of methodological foundations to the details of technical issues andthe aspects of industrial practice.
The subjects of interest to SCP cover the entire spectrum of methods for the entire life cycle of software systems, including
• Requirements, specification, design, validation, verification, coding, testing, maintenance, metrics and renovation of software;
• Design, implementation and evaluation of programming languages;
• Programming environments, development tools, visualisation and animation;
• Management of the development process;
• Human factors in software, software for social interaction, software for social computing;
• Cyber physical systems, and software for the interaction between the physical and the machine;
• Software aspects of infrastructure services, system administration, and network management.