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1994 Technical Reports

StateTime --- a Visual Toolset for the Design and Verification of Real-Time Systems

Jonathan S. Ostroff

Technical Report CS-ETR-94-07

York University

September 12, 1994

Abstract

StateTime is a prototype toolset that uses visual specifications and temporal logic for design and verification. The toolset is especially useful for designing real-time safety critical systems. A design methodology is described that can be used together with the tools. The methodology and the tools are illustrated with a nontrivial example taken from the actual requirements document of the Candu nuclear reactor. The specification of part of the reactor shutdown mechanism is shown to be incorrect. A revised design is proposed and verified.

StateTime consists of three tools: BUILD, VERIFY and DEVELOP. The BUILD tool allows the designer to model the system using a graphical language based on timed transition models (TTMs). Concurrency, nondeterminism, hierarchy, synchronous interaction, time bounds and integer data variables are supported.

The VERIFY tool automatically checks finite state systems for various properties specified in real-time linear temporal logic (RTTL). Safety properties such as freedom from deadlock and mutual exclusion, liveness properties such as termination and accessibility, and bounded response times can be specified and verified. DEVELOP supports a semi-automated disciplined approach to software development for infinite state systems.

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