Title
Model checking large software specifications
Abstract
In this paper, we present our experiences in using symbolic model checking to analyze a specification of a software system for aircraft collision avoidance. Symbolic model checking has been highly successful when applied to hardware systems. We are interested in whether model checking can be effectively applied to large software specifications. To investigate this, we translated a portion of the state-based system requirements specification of Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System II (TCAS II) into input to a symbolic model checker (SMV). We successfully used the symbolic model checker to analyze a number of properties of the system. We report on our experiences, describing our approach to translating the specification to the SMV language, explaining our methods for achieving acceptable performance, and giving a summary of the properties analyzed. Based on our experiences, we discuss the possibility of using model checking to aid specification development by iteratively applying the technique early in the development cycle. We consider the paper to be a data point for optimism about the potential for more widespread application of model checking to software systems.
Year
DOI
Venue
1998
10.1109/32.708566
Software Engineering, IEEE Transactions
Keywords
DocType
Volume
air traffic control,formal specification,formal verification,safety-critical software,Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System II,aircraft collision avoidance,large software specifications,specification development,state-based system requirements specification,symbolic model checking
Journal
24
Issue
ISSN
Citations 
7
0098-5589
161
PageRank 
References 
Authors
19.17
55
4
Search Limit
100161
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Chan, W.116119.17
Richard J. Anderson286993.43
Paul Beame32234176.07
Burns, S.416119.50