Using Modechart modules for testing formal specifications

Abstract

Automated model-checking of formal specifications for real-time systems has remained an elusive goal due to the state-space explosion problem. This paper describes an approach to testing formal specifications using automatically generated testing modules. This technique preserves many of the advantages of using formal specifications while mitigating the state-space explosion problem by focusing state-space exploration to a subset determined by the test. Because the testing modules are defined in the same formalism as the specification, the semantics of the test are precisely defined. Moreover, existing model-checking tools can be leveraged to perform the testing. Finally, this approach reduces evaluation of a potential complex assertion to a simple reachability condition in the tested specification's state space.