Formal Specification: Techniques and Applications / Edition 1

by Nimal Nissanke

Overview

Formal Specification is a textbook for 2nd/3rd year undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Formal Methods which offers a practical and versatile approach to constructing specifications. It covers both model-based and algebraic approaches and emphasises the range of languages and approaches which are available. Mathematical principles are explained using examples from everyday life (like card games), in order to "demystify" them and make them more comprehensible. It includes: unrivalled coverage of the topic including all important, recent advances lots of exercises with model answers case studies to guide students through the main principles margin notes to identify key points. Readers of this book do not have to be fully competent in formal specification - it is written to be accessible to any student who wants to learn about the topic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781852330026
Publisher:	Springer London
Publication date:	08/27/1999
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1999
Pages:	295
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.- 1.1 Specification and Correctness.- 1.2 Specification as a Contract.- 1.3 Specification as a Design Aid.- 1.4 Specification as a Human Endeavour.- 1.5 Specification as Abstraction.- 1.6 Modularity in Specifications.- 1.7 Benefits Beyond Precision.- 1.8 Formal Specification as an Emerging Technology.- 1.9 Specification Techniques.- 2. Schema Language.- 2.1 Introduction.- 2.2 Type Definitions in Z.- 2.3 Mathematical Definitions in Z.- 2.4 Presentation of Schemas.- 2.5 Schema Manipulation.- 2.6 Significance of Schemas.- 2.7 Some Naming Conventions.- 2.8 Hiding and Projection of Components.- 2.9 Notation for Specification of Systems.- 2.10 Schema Composition.- 2.11 Pre and Post Conditions.- 2.12 Promotion.- Exercises.- 3. An Approach to Specification.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 An Initial Understanding.- 3.3 Abstraction and Modularisation.- 3.4 Flight Journey.- 3.5 Flight Accommodation.- 3.6 Definition of Flight.- 3.7 Operations on Flight.- 3.8 An Airline.- Concluding Remarks.- Exercises.- 4. Specification for Fun.- 4.1 Games as Systems.- 4.2 Musical Chairs.- 4.3 Snakes and Ladders.- Exercises.- 5. A Specification for Clocks.- 5.1 Representation of Time.- 5.2 A Mathematical Definition of Clocks.- 5.3 Clock Utilities.- 5.4 Operations and Transitions.- 5.5 Intervals in Real Time.- Concluding Remarks.- Exercises.- 6. Reasoning About Specifications.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Kinds of Internal Consistency.- 6.3 Consistency of the General State.- 6.4 Initialisation Consistency.- 6.5 Consistency of Operations.- Exercises.- 7. Specification of a Network Prool.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 OSI Reference Model.- 7.3 Some Preliminaries.- 7.4 Application Layer.- 7.5 Presentation Layer.- 7.6 Session Layer.- 7.7 Transport Layer.- 7.8 Selected Proofs.- 7.9 Bibliographical Notes.- Exercises.- 8. Object Oriented Specification.- 8.1 Object Orientation in the Narrow Sense.- 8.2 Object Orientation in the Wider Sense.- 8.3 What are Objects?.- 8.4 Some Object Oriented Concepts.- 8.5 Abstract Data Types and Classes.- 8.6 Representation of Classes.- 8.7 Object Oriented Specification Languages.- 8.8 Object Oriented Version of Sequences.- 8.9 Text Processing.- Exercises.- 9. Specification of Safety.- 9.1 Introduction.- 9.2 Specification Framework.- 9.3 Description of System State and Behaviour.- 9.4 System Behaviour in the Presence of Failures.- 9.5 Preventing and Averting Failures.- Concluding Remarks.- Exercises.- 10. An Overview of VDM.- 10.1 Standard Mathematical Notation.- 10.2 Specification of State Based Systems.- 10.3 Composite Objects.- 10.4 Musical Chairs - An Example.- 10.5 An Indexed Filing System — A Case Study.- Exercises.- 11. Algebraic Approach to Specification.- 11.1 Introduction.- 11.2 A Preliminary Comparison.- 11.3 Algebraic Notions.- 11.4 Many—sorted Algebra.- 11.5 Homomorphisms.- 11.6 Term Algebras.- 11.7 Equations.- 11.8 Initial Algebras.- 11.9 Terminal Algebras.- 11.10Bibliographical Notes.- 12. Algebraic Specification in CLEAR.- 12.1 Data Types and Systems.- 12.2 Views of Specifications.- 12.3 An Introduction to CLEAR.- 12.4 A Case Study: A Filing System.- 12.5 Bibliographical Notes.- Exercises.- A. Exercises on Reading Formal Specifications.- A.1 Exercise - A Simple Text Editor.- A.2 Let’s Play A Game of Cards.- A.3 Unix Filing System.- B. Exercises on Writing Formal Specifications.- B.1 A Catalogue Shop.- B.2 Know Your Place if You Succeed in Politics!.- B.3 Traffic Lights.- B.4 A Vending Machine.- B.5 A Bank.- B.6 A Flight Reservation Service for an Airline.- B.7 A Hospital Register.- C. The Mathematical Notation.-References.