Recently, the notion of an array-based system has been introduced as an abstraction of infinite state systems (such as mutual exclusion protocols or sorting programs) which allows for model checking of invariant (safety) and recurrence (liveness) properties by Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) techniques. Unfortunately, the use of quantified first-order formulae to describe sets of states makes fix-point checking extremely expensive. In this paper, we show how invariant properties for a sub-class of array-based systems can be model-checked by a backward reachability algorithm where the length of quantifier prefixes is efficiently controlled by suitable heuristics. We also present various refinements of the reachability algorithm that allows it to be easily implemented in a client-server architecture, where a “light-weight” algorithm is the client generating proof obligations for safety and fix-point checks and an SMT solver plays the role of the server discharging the proof obligations. We also report on some encouraging preliminary experiments with a prototype implementation of our approach.

Light-weight SMT-based model checking / S. Ghilardi, S. Ranise, T. Valsecchi. - In: ELECTRONIC NOTES IN THEORETICAL COMPUTER SCIENCE. - ISSN 1571-0661. - 250:2(2009 Sep), pp. 85-102. [10.1016/j.entcs.2009.08.019]

Light-weight SMT-based model checking

S. Ghilardi
Primo
;
2009

Abstract

Recently, the notion of an array-based system has been introduced as an abstraction of infinite state systems (such as mutual exclusion protocols or sorting programs) which allows for model checking of invariant (safety) and recurrence (liveness) properties by Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) techniques. Unfortunately, the use of quantified first-order formulae to describe sets of states makes fix-point checking extremely expensive. In this paper, we show how invariant properties for a sub-class of array-based systems can be model-checked by a backward reachability algorithm where the length of quantifier prefixes is efficiently controlled by suitable heuristics. We also present various refinements of the reachability algorithm that allows it to be easily implemented in a client-server architecture, where a “light-weight” algorithm is the client generating proof obligations for safety and fix-point checks and an SMT solver plays the role of the server discharging the proof obligations. We also report on some encouraging preliminary experiments with a prototype implementation of our approach.
Model Checking of Infinite State Systems; Safety; Satisfiability Modulo Theories
Settore INF/01 - Informatica
set-2009
Article (author)
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/141530
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