Compositional Stochastic Model Checking Probabilistic Automata via Assume-guarantee Reasoning

Abstract

Formal verification can reveal the unexposed defects in a safetycritical system. As a prominent formal verification technique, model checking is an automatic and complete verification technique of finite state systems against correctness properties, which was pioneered respectively by Clarke and Emerson [1] and by Queille and Sifakis [2] in the early 1980’s. Whereas model checking techniques focus on the absolute correctness of systems, in practice such rigid notions are hard, or even impossible, to ensure. Instead, many systems exhibit stochastic aspects [3] which are essential for among others: modeling unreliable and unpredictable system behavior (message garbling or loss), model-based performance evaluation (i.e., estimating system performance and dependability) and randomized algorithms (leader election or consensus algorithms). Automatic formal verification of stochastic systems by model checking is called stochastic model checking or probabilistic model checking [4].