High Integrity Software / Edition 1

by Victor L. Winter, Sourav Bhattacharya

Overview

The second half of the twentieth century has witnessed remarkable advances in technology. The unquestioned leader in this race has been computer technology. Even the most modest personal computers today have computing power that would have astounded the leading technol­ ogists a few decades earlier, and what's more, similar advances are pre­ dicted for many years to come. Looking towards the future, it has been conservatively estimated that in 2047 computers could easily be 100,000 times more powerful than they were in 1997 (Moore's law [Moore] would lead to an increase on the order of around 10 billion) [Bell]. Because of its enormous capability, computer technology is becoming pervasive across the technology spectrum. Nowadays it is not surpris­ ing to discover that very common household gadgets like your toaster contain computer technology. Televisions, microwave ovens, and even electric shavers contain software. And what's more, the use of computer technology has been estimated to double every two years [Gibbs]. In order to keep up with the growing technology demands and to fully utilize the ever more powerful computing platforms, software projects have become more and more ambitious. This has lead to software systems becoming dominant forces in system functionality. Further­ more, the ambition to realize significant portions of a system's function­ ality through software has extended into the high consequence realm. Presently, software controls many critical functions in (1) airplanes, (2) electronic commerce, (3) space-bound systems, (4) medical systems, and (5) various transportation systems such as automobiles and trains.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780792379492
Publisher:	Springer US
Publication date:	05/31/2001
Series:	The Springer International Series in Engineering and Computer Science , #577
Edition description:	2001
Pages:	325
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.03(d)

Table of Contents

I General Applications of Formal Methods and Systems.- 1 Designware: Software Development by Refinement.- 2 B : Towards Zero Defect Software.- 3 The Use of B to Specify, Design and Verify Hardware.- 4 A System for Predictable Component-Based Software Construction.- 5 Autonomous Decentralized Systems.- II Case Study.- 6 Bay Area Rapid Transit System Case Study.- 7 Using SCR to Specify the BART Requirements.- 8 A Domain Language for a Class of Reactive Systems.- 9 Refinement-based Derivation of Train Controllers.- III Verification and Validation.- 10 Validation of a Relational Program.- 11 Verification of a Controller for BART.- 12 Using Virtual Reality to Validate System Models.

Editorial Reviews

Because software is now such an integral part of such important systems as automated airplane controls and global commerce, it has become critical to be able to assess whether software can be trusted not to fail at the wrong time. Winter (Sandia National Laboratory, US) and Bhattacharya (Arizona State U., US) present a collection of 12 articles describing how formal methods can be used in the specification, design, and construction of software systems. Falling into two broad categories, the papers discuss both general considerations of the application of formal methods, and specific considerations of how these methods can be applied to the construction and verification of a software controller for the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (considered high-consequence because of the risk of train collisions). Also included is a paper describing a portion of the BART system. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)