Static analysis and family-based model checking of featured transition systems with VMC

Abstract

A Featured Transition System (FTS) is a formalism for modelling variability in configurable systems, such as software product lines. The behaviour of all variants (products) is modelled in a single compact FTS by associating the possibility to perform an action and transition from one state to another with features that condition the execution of an action in specific variants. We present a front-end tool for the Variability Model Checker VMC such that the resulting toolchain allows a modeller to analyse an FTS for ambiguities (dead or false optional transitions and hidden deadlock states), transform an ambiguous FTS into an unambiguous one, and perform an efficient kind of family-based model checking of an FTS without hidden deadlock states. We use examples from the literature to illustrate the novelties offered by the toolchain. CCS CONCEPTS• Software and its engineering → Software product lines; Formal methods; Model checking; Automated static analysis.

FTS4VMC: A front-end tool for static analysis and family-based model checking of FTSs with VMC

“…FTS4VMC expands the possible use cases of the VMC model checker for behavioural variability models to include also FTSs, offering moreover a significant gain in efficiency in specific cases, as demonstrated in [20]. [24] model understanding and to enable an efficient kind of family-based verification (if the deadlocks in the variants that are the cause should not be remedied in the first place).…”

“…The novelties introduced in [24] are clearly indicated in Fig. 1: the blue and the green steps (arrows) if applied to FTSs are made possible by FTS4VMC.…”

“…The front-end tool FTS4VMC was first presented during the conference SPLC 2021 in the Demonstrations and Tools track as a short paper [24] and as part of a tutorial on a toolchain involving FTS4VMC (reported in [25]). The current paper is an extended version of [24], focussing on the software.…”

Efficient static analysis and verification of featured transition systems

“…Toolchain In ter Beek et al (2021), we present FTS4VMC, a tool developed specifically as a front-end for VMC with a user-friendly GUI. The resulting toolchain allows a modeller to analyse an FTS for ambiguities, remove them, transform the resulting live FTS into an MTS and perform an efficient kind of family-based model checking of v-ACTLive properties.…”