A proof environment for the development of group communication systems

Abstract

Abstract. We present a theorem proving environment for the development of reliable and efficient group communication systems. Our approach makes methods of automated deduction applicable to the implementation of real-world systems by linking the Ensemble group communication toolkit to the NuPRL proof development system. We present tools for importing Ensemble's code into NuPRL and exporting it back into the programming environment. We discuss techniques for reasoning about critical properties of Ensemble as well as verified strategies for reconfiguring the Ensemble system in order to improve its performance in concrete applications.

Building reliable, high-performance networks with the Nuprl proof development system

“…This article extends preliminary work reported in (Kreitz, 1997;Kreitz et al, 1998;Kreitz, 1999), which now has matured into pushbutton technology and is based on an advanced semantical model for OCaml, which allows for a typetheoretical representation of a larger fragment of the programming language.…”

“…The system has been used in increasingly large applications in mathematics and programming, such as constructive versions of Girard's paradox (Howe, 1987), Higman's lemma (Murthy & Russell, 1990), abstract algebra (Jackson, 1994), verifications of a logic synthesis tool (Aagaard & Leeser, 1993) and of the SCI cache coherency protocol (Howe, 1996), and in our current work on communication systems (Kreitz et al, 1998;Hickey et al, 1999;Liu et al, 1999;Bickford et al, 2001c).…”

“…We call this infrastructure a logical programming environment for Ensemble (Kreitz et al, 1998). Within the logical programming environment we have developed logical optimization tools that can substantially increase the performance of Ensemble and as well as mechanisms that support the verification and formal design of Ensemble protocols.…”

Proving Hybrid Protocols Correct

“…It provides an expressive formal language and a substantial body of formal knowledge that was accumulated in increasingly large applications, such as verifications of a logic synthesis tool [1] and of the SCI cache coherency protocol [13] as well as the verification and optimization of communication protocols [17,12,18].…”

The Nuprl Open Logical Environment

“…The system itself supports interactive and tactic-based reasoning, decision procedures, evaluation of programs, language extensions through user-defined concepts, and an extendable library of verified knowledge from various domains. Since its first release in 1984 it has been used in increasingly large applications in mathematics and programming, such as verifications of a logic synthesis tool [AL93] and of the SCI cache coherency protocol [How96] as well as the verification and optimization of group communication systems [KHH98,Kre99,L + 99]. Over the years it has turned out that the rapidly growing demands for formal knowledge and tools cannot be met by a single closed system anymore.…”