Simulation under Arbitrary Temporal Logic Constraints

TL;DR

This paper introduces an on-the-fly verification method that integrates arbitrary temporal logic constraints into simulation, enhancing debugging and exploration of system behaviors and counter-examples.

Contribution

It presents a novel interactive simulation technique that incorporates complex temporal logic constraints, unifying system exploration and counter-example analysis.

Findings

Implemented in Electrum framework as proof of concept

Allows exploration of behaviors satisfying complex temporal constraints

Enables interactive debugging with counter-example exploration

Abstract

Most model checkers provide a useful simulation mode, that allows users to explore the set of possible behaviours by interactively picking at each state which event to execute next. Traditionally this simulation mode cannot take into consideration additional temporal logic constraints, such as arbitrary fairness restrictions, substantially reducing its usability for debugging the modelled system behaviour. Similarly, when a specification is false, even if all its counter-examples combined also form a set of behaviours, most model checkers only present one of them to the user, providing little or no mechanism to explore alternatives. In this paper, we present a simple on-the-fly verification technique to allow the user to explore the behaviours that satisfy an arbitrary temporal logic specification, with an interactive process akin to simulation. This technique enables a unified interface for simulating the modelled system and exploring its counter-examples. The technique is formalised in the framework of state/event linear temporal logic and a proof of concept was implemented in an event-based variant of the Electrum framework.