A concurrency test tool for Java monitors

Abstract

The Java programming language supports monitors. Monitor implementations, like other concurrent programs, are hard to test due to the inherent non-determinism. This paper presents the ConAn (Concurrency Analyser) tool for generating drivers for the testing of Java monitors. To obtain adequate controllability over the interactions between Java threads, the generated driver contains processes that are synchronized by a clock. The driver automatically executes the calls in the test sequence in the prescribed order and compares the outputs against the expected outputs specified in the test sequence. The method and tool are illustrated on an asymmetric producer-consumer monitor and their application to two other monitors is discussed.