On Distributed Runtime Verification by Aggregate Computing

TL;DR

This paper advocates for using aggregate computing as an effective paradigm for implementing distributed runtime verification monitors, emphasizing its potential to simplify monitoring in distributed systems.

Contribution

It introduces the idea that aggregate computing is particularly suitable for distributed runtime verification and encourages further research on generating such monitors from formal specifications.

Findings

Aggregate computing simplifies distributed monitor implementation.

It is well suited for observing distributed systems.

The paper encourages research on formal specification-based monitor generation.

Abstract

Runtime verification is a computing analysis paradigm based on observing a system at runtime (to check its expected behaviour) by means of monitors generated from formal specifications. Distributed runtime verification is runtime verification in connection with distributed systems: it comprises both monitoring of distributed systems and using distributed systems for monitoring. Aggregate computing is a programming paradigm based on a reference computing machine that is the aggregate collection of devices that cooperatively carry out a computational process: the details of behaviour, position and number of devices are largely abstracted away, to be replaced with a space-filling computational environment. In this position paper we argue, by means of simple examples, that aggregate computing is particularly well suited for implementing distributed monitors. Our aim is to foster further research on how to generate aggregate computing monitors from suitable formal specifications.