Model checking probabilistic and stochastic extensions of the $\pi$-calculus

Gethin Norman (1) , Catuscia Palamidessi (2, 3) , David Parker (1) , Peng Wu (4)

1 OUCL - Computing Laboratory
2 COMETE - Concurrency, Mobility and Transactions
3 LIX - Laboratoire d'informatique de l'École polytechnique [Palaiseau]
4 Department of Computer Science

We present an implementation of model checking for probabilistic and stochastic extensions of the -calculus, a process algebra which supports modelling of concurrency and mobility. Formal verification techniques for such extensions have clear applications in several domains, including mobile ad-hoc network protocols, probabilistic security protocols and biological pathways. Despite this, no implementation of automated verification exists. Building upon the -calculus model checker MMC, we first show an automated procedure for constructing the underlying semantic model of a probabilistic or stochastic -calculus process. This can then be verified using existing probabilistic model checkers such as PRISM. Secondly, we demonstrate how for processes of a specific structure a more efficient, compositional approach is applicable, which uses our extension of MMC on each parallel component of the system and then translates the results into a high-level modular description for the PRISM tool. The feasibility of our techniques is demonstrated through a number of case studies from the pi-calculus literature.

Domains: Logic in Computer Science [cs.LO]

Gethin Norman, Catuscia Palamidessi, David Parker, Peng Wu. Model checking probabilistic and stochastic extensions of the $\pi$-calculus. IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 2009, 35 (2), pp.209--223. ⟨inria-00424856⟩