Incremental protocol verification using deductive database systems

Abstract

A deductive approach which incorporates first-order logic into a relational database is proposed to remedy the problems incurred in the relational algebraic approach. The method not only allows recursive definitions for more complex logical reasoning but also provides a uniform query interface to the users for verifying functional properties of a protocol. Most important, with the deductibility of the deductive database it becomes possible to define algorithms for the incremental verification method, which speeds up the verification process by reverifying protocols without generating the global states from scratch.<>