Getting Demos models right. (I). Practice

We present a method for translating the synchronisation behaviour of a process oriented discrete event simulation language into a process algebra. Such translations serve two purposes. The first exploits the formal structure of the target process algebraic representations to enable proofs of such properties of the source system as deadlock freedom, safety, fairness and liveness which can be very difficult to establish by simulation experiment. The second exploits the denotational semantics to better understand the language constructs as abstract entities and to facilitate reasoning about simulation models. Here we give the intuition and the basic translation mechanisms using a variety of the Demos simulation language and the CCS and SCCS process algebras. The translations have been automated as SML programs and produce CWB compatible input allowing the automated checking of formal system properties.