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Model checking LTL properties over ANSI-C programs with bounded traces

Model checking LTL properties over ANSI-C programs with bounded traces
Model checking LTL properties over ANSI-C programs with bounded traces
Context-bounded model checking has successfully been used to verify safety properties in multi-threaded systems automatically, even if they are implemented in low-level programming languages like ANSI-C. In this paper, we describe and experiment with an approach to extend context-bounded software model checking to liveness properties expressed in linear-time temporal logic (LTL). Our approach converts the LTL formulae into Büchi-automata (BA) for the corresponding never claims and then further into C monitor threads, which are interleaved with the execution of the program under analysis. This combined system is then checked using the ESBMC model checker. We use an extended, four-valued LTL semantics to handle the finite traces that bounded model checking generates; we thus check the combined system several times with different acceptance criteria to derive the correct truth value. In order to mitigate the state space explosion, we use a dedicated scheduler that selects the monitor thread only after updates to any of the program variables occurring in the LTL formula. We demonstrate our approach on the analysis of the sequential firmware of a medical device and a small multi-threaded control application.
Morse, Jeremy
8ce3f639-6ea2-4b40-be62-5c603e8d6957
Cordeiro, Lucas
fc7cb054-f39e-4013-9faa-a471bd006596
Nicole, Denis
0aca6dd1-833f-4544-b7a4-58fb91c7395a
Fischer, Bernd
0c9575e6-d099-47f1-b3a2-2dbc93c53d18
Morse, Jeremy
8ce3f639-6ea2-4b40-be62-5c603e8d6957
Cordeiro, Lucas
fc7cb054-f39e-4013-9faa-a471bd006596
Nicole, Denis
0aca6dd1-833f-4544-b7a4-58fb91c7395a
Fischer, Bernd
0c9575e6-d099-47f1-b3a2-2dbc93c53d18

Morse, Jeremy, Cordeiro, Lucas, Nicole, Denis and Fischer, Bernd (2012) Model checking LTL properties over ANSI-C programs with bounded traces. 9th International Conference on Software Engineering and Formal Methods (SEFM 2011), Montevideo, Uruguay. 14 - 18 Nov 2011. 30 pp . (doi:10.1007/s10270-013-0366-0).

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Other)

Abstract

Context-bounded model checking has successfully been used to verify safety properties in multi-threaded systems automatically, even if they are implemented in low-level programming languages like ANSI-C. In this paper, we describe and experiment with an approach to extend context-bounded software model checking to liveness properties expressed in linear-time temporal logic (LTL). Our approach converts the LTL formulae into Büchi-automata (BA) for the corresponding never claims and then further into C monitor threads, which are interleaved with the execution of the program under analysis. This combined system is then checked using the ESBMC model checker. We use an extended, four-valued LTL semantics to handle the finite traces that bounded model checking generates; we thus check the combined system several times with different acceptance criteria to derive the correct truth value. In order to mitigate the state space explosion, we use a dedicated scheduler that selects the monitor thread only after updates to any of the program variables occurring in the LTL formula. We demonstrate our approach on the analysis of the sequential firmware of a medical device and a small multi-threaded control application.

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e-pub ahead of print date: 17 November 2012
Venue - Dates: 9th International Conference on Software Engineering and Formal Methods (SEFM 2011), Montevideo, Uruguay, 2011-11-14 - 2011-11-18
Organisations: Electronic & Software Systems

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Local EPrints ID: 339746
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/339746
PURE UUID: f913fc98-b962-4a0d-9eba-20ec467ca3df

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Date deposited: 29 May 2012 15:54
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 11:14

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Contributors

Author: Jeremy Morse
Author: Lucas Cordeiro
Author: Denis Nicole
Author: Bernd Fischer

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