Paper Info
Title
Herding Cats: Modelling, Simulation, Testing, and Data Mining for Weak Memory
Abstract
We propose an axiomatic generic framework for modelling weak memory. We show how to instantiate this framework for Sequential Consistency (SC), Total Store Order (TSO), C++ restricted to release-acquire atomics, and Power. For Power, we compare our model to a preceding operational model in which we found a flaw. To do so, we define an operational model that we show equivalent to our axiomatic model. We also propose a model for ARM. Our testing on this architecture revealed a behaviour later acknowledged as a bug by ARM, and more recently, 31 additional anomalies. We offer a new simulation tool, called herd, which allows the user to specify the model of his choice in a concise way. Given a specification of a model, the tool becomes a simulator for that model. The tool relies on an axiomatic description; this choice allows us to outperform all previous simulation tools. Additionally, we confirm that verification time is vastly improved, in the case of bounded model checking. Finally, we put our models in perspective, in the light of empirical data obtained by analysing the C and C++ code of a Debian Linux distribution. We present our new analysis tool, called mole, which explores a piece of code to find the weak memory idioms that it uses.
Year
DOI
Venue
2014
10.1145/2627752
ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems
Keywords
DocType
Volume
experimentation,design styles,verification,reasonable diameter,herding cat,memory model,concurrency,theory,software verification,infinitely large pen,herd cat,weak memory models,weak memory
Conference
36
Issue
ISSN
Citations 
2
0164-0925
47
PageRank 
References 
Authors
1.46
52
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Jade Alglave160826.53
Luc Maranget280849.83
Michael Tautschnig342525.84