Home > Store

SPIN Model Checker, The: Primer and Reference Manual (paperback)

Register your product to gain access to bonus material or receive a coupon.

SPIN Model Checker, The: Primer and Reference Manual (paperback)

Book

  • Your Price: $59.49
  • List Price: $69.99
  • Usually ships in 24 hours.

About

Features

The official guide to debugging software with SPIN written by its creator.

° Written by the creator of SPIN and the recipient of the 2002 Software System Award from the prestigious ACM.

° SPIN is one of the most widely used logic model checkers in the world and is freely available on spinroot.com - which receives 2,000 - 3,000 hits daily.

° SPIN has been used in many high profile industrial applications such as the post check of the Pathfinder mission.

Description

  • Copyright 2004
  • Dimensions: 7" x 9-1/4"
  • Pages: 608
  • Edition: 1st
  • Book
  • ISBN-10: 0-321-77371-3
  • ISBN-13: 978-0-321-77371-5

Master SPIN, the breakthrough tool for improving software reliability

SPIN is the world's most popular, and arguably one of the world's most powerful, tools for detecting software defects in concurrent system designs. Literally thousands of people have used SPIN since it was first introduced almost fifteen years ago. The tool has been applied to everything from the verification of complex call processing software that is used in telephone exchanges, to the validation of intricate control software for interplanetary spacecraft.

This is the most comprehensive reference guide to SPIN, written by the principal designer of the tool. It covers the tool's specification language and theoretical foundation, and gives detailed advice on methods for tackling the most complex software verification problems.

  • Sum Design and verify both abstract and detailed verification models of complex systems software
  • Sum Develop a solid understanding of the theory behind logic model checking
  • Sum Become an expert user of the SPIN command line interface, the Xspin graphical user interface, and the TimeLine editing tool
  • Sum Learn the basic theory of omega automata, linear temporal logic, depth-first and breadth-first search, search optimization, and model extraction from source code

The SPIN software was awarded the prestigious Software System Award by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), which previously recognized systems such as UNIX, SmallTalk, TCP/IP, Tcl/Tk, and the World Wide Web.

Sample Content

Table of Contents

Preface.

INTRODUCTION.

1. Finding Bugs in Concurrent Systems.

Circular Blocking. Deadly Embrace. Mismatched Assumptions. Fundamental Problems of Concurrency. Observability and Controllability. 2. Building Verification Models.

Introducing PROMELA. Some Examples. Biographical Notes. 3. An Overview of PROMELA.

Processes. Data Objects. Message Channels. Channel Poll Operations. Sorted Send and Random Receive. Rendezvous Communication. Rules for Executability. Control Flow. Finding out More. 4. Defining Correctness Claims.

Basic Types of Claims. Assertions. Meta-Labels. Fair Cycles. Never Claims. The Link with LTL. Trace Assertions. Predefined Variables and Functions. Path Quantification. Finding out More. 5. Using Design Abstraction.

What Makes a Good Design Abstraction? Data and Control. The Smallest Sufficient Model. Avoiding Redundancy. Counters, Sinks, Sources, and Filters. Simple Refutation Models. Examples. Controlling Complexity. A Formal Basis for Reduction.

FOUNDATION.

6. Automata and Logic.

Omega Acceptance. The Stutter Extension Rule. Finite States. Infinite Runs. Other Types of Acceptance. Temporal Logic. Recurrence and Stability. Valuation Sequences. Stutter. Invariance. Fairness. From Logic to Automata. Omega-Regular Properties. Other Logics. Bibliographic Notes. 7. PROMELASemantics.

Transition Relation. Operational Model. Semantics Engine. Interpreting PROMELA Models. Three Examples. Verification. The Never Claim. 8. Search Algorithms.

Depth-First Search. Checking Safety Properties. Depth-Limited Search. Trade-Offs. Breath-First Search. Checking Liveness Properties. Adding Fairness. The SPIN Implementation. Complexity Revisited. Bibliographic Notes. 9. Search Optimization.

Partial Order Reduction. Visibility. Statement Merging. State Compression. Collapse Compression. The Minimized Automaton Representation. Bitstate Hashing. Bloom Filters. Hash-Compact. Bibliographic Notes. 10. Notes on Model Extraction.

The Role of Abstraction. From ANSI-C to PROMELA. Embedded Assertions. A Framework for Abstraction. Soundness and Completeness. Selective Data Hiding. Bolder Abstractions. Dealing with False Negatives. Thorny Issues with Embedded C Code. The Model Extraction Process. The Halting Problem Revisited. Bibliographic Notes.

PRACTICE.

11. Using SPIN.

SPIN Structure. Roadmap. Random Simulation. Interactive Simulation. Generating and Compiling a Verifier. Tuning a Verification Run, the Number of Reachable States. Search Depth. Cycle Detection. Inspecting Error Traces. Internal State Numbers. Special Cases. Disabling Partial Order Reduction. Boosting Performance. Separate Compilation. Lowering Verification Complexity. 12. Notes on XSPIN.

Starting a Session with XSPIN. Menus. Syntax Checking. Property- Based Slicing. Simulation Parameters. Verification Parameters. The LTL Property Manager. The Automaton View Option. 13. The TimeLine Editor.

An Example. Types of Events. Defining Events. Matching a Timeline. Automata Definitions. Variations on a Theme. Constraints. Timelines with One Event. Timelines with Multiple Events. The Link with LTL. Bibliographic Notes. 14. A Verification Model of a Telephone Switch.

General Approach. Keeping it Simple. Managing Complexity. Subscriber Model. Switch Model. Remote Switches. Adding Features. Three-Way Calling. 15. Sample SPINModels.

The Sieve of Eratosthenes. Process Scheduling. A Client-Server Model. A Square-Root Server. Adding Interaction. Adding Assertions. A Comment Filter.

REFERENCE MATERIAL.

16. PROMELA Language Reference.

Grammar Rules. Special Cases. PROMELA Manual Pages. Meta Terms. Declarators. Control Flow Constructors. Basic Statements. Predefined Functions and Operators. Omissions. 17. Embedded C Code.

Example. Data References. Execution. Issues to Consider. Deferring File Inclusion. Manual Pages for Embedded C Code. 18. Overview of SPINOptions.

Compile-Time Options. Simulation. Syntax-Checking. Postscript Generation. Model Checker Generation. LTL Conversion. Miscellaneous Options. 19. Overview of PANOptions.

PAN Compile-Time Options. Tuning Partial Order Reduction. Increasing Speed. Decreasing Memory Use. Debugging PAN Verifiers. Experimental Options. PAN Run-Time Options. PAN Output Format.

LITERATURE.

APPENDICES.

A: Automata Products.

Asynchronous and Synchronous Products. Defining Atomic Sequences and Rendezvous. Expanded Asynchronous Products. Büchi Acceptance. Non-Progress. Deadlock. B: The Great Debates.

Branching vs Linear Time. Symbolic vs Explicit. Breadth-First vs Depth-First. Tarjan vs Nested. Events vs States. Realtime vs Timeless. Probability vs Possibility. Asynchronous vs Synchronous. Interleaving vs True Concurrency. Open vs Closed Systems. C: Exercises with SPIN.
D: Downloading SPIN.
Tables and Figures.
Index.

Updates

Submit Errata

More Information

InformIT Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from InformIT and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites, develop new products and services, conduct educational research and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email information@informit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by InformIT. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.informit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020