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Automated verification and refinement for physical-layer protocols

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Formal Aspects of Computing

Abstract

This paper demonstrates how to use a satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solver together with a bounded model checker to verify properties of real-time physical layer protocols. The method is first used to verify the Biphase Mark protocol, a protocol that has been verified numerous times previously, allowing for a comparison of results. The techniques are extended to the 8N1 protocol used in universal asynchronous receiver transmitters. We then demonstrate the use of temporal refinement to link a finite state specification of 8N1 with its real-time implementation. This refinement relationship relieves a significant disadvantage of SMT approaches—their inability to scale to large problems. Finally, capturing the impact of metastability on timing requirements is a key issue in modeling physical-layer protocols. Rather than model metastability directly, a contribution of our models is treating its effect as a constraint on non-determinism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

    Geoffrey M. Brown

  2. Galois Inc., Portland, OR, USA

    Lee Pike

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  1. Geoffrey M. Brown
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  2. Lee Pike
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Correspondence to Geoffrey M. Brown.

Additional information

E.A. Emerson

Based on material originally published in [BP06] and [BP07].

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Brown, G.M., Pike, L. Automated verification and refinement for physical-layer protocols. Form Asp Comp 23, 243–266 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00165-010-0149-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00165-010-0149-0

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