Abstract
A first-order modal logic is given for describing properties of processes which may send and receive values or messages along communication ports. We give two methods for proving that a process enjoys such a property. The first is the construction, for each processP and formulaF, of acharacteristic formula P satF such thatP enjoys the propertyF if and only if the formulaP satF is logically equivalent to tt. The second is a sound and complete proof system whose judgements take the formB ⊢P: F, meaning: under the assumptionB the processP enjoys the propertyF.
The notion ofsymbolic operational semantics plays a crucial role in the design of both the characteristic formulae and the proof system.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
R. Cleaveland, J. Parrow, B. Steffen: The concurrency workbench. University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 1988
J.C. Godskesen, K.G. Larsen, M. Zeeberg: Tav — tools for automatic verification — users manual. Technical Report R 89-19, Department of Matheamtics and Computer Science, Aalborg University, 1989. Presented at workshop on Automatic Methods for Finite State, Systems, Grenoble, France, Juni 1989
S. Graf, J. Sifakis: A logic for the description of non-deterministic programs and their properties. Information and Control, 68 (1–3), 1986
M. Hennessy: A proof system for communicating processes with value-passing.Formal Aspects of Computer Science, 3:346–366, 1991
M. Hennessy, H. Lin: Symbolic bisimulation. Technical Report Technical Report 1/92, School of Congnitive and Computing Sciences, University of Sussex, 1992
M. Hennessy, X. Liu: A modal logic for message passing processes. Technical Report Technical Report 3/93, School of Congnitive and Computing Sciences, University of Sussex 1993
A. Ingolfsdottir, B. Thomsen: Semantic models for ccs with values. Technical Report 63, Programming Methodology Group, Chalmers University of Technology, 1992. In Proceedings of the Workshop on Concurrency
K.G. Larsen: Proof systems for Hennessy-Milner logic with recursion.Lecture Notes In Computer Science, Springer Verlag, 299, 1988. in Proceedings of 13th Colloquium on Trees in Algebra and Programming 1988
H. Lin: A verification tool for value-passing processes. Technical report, School of Congnitive and Computing Sciences, University of Sussex, 1993. To appear
R. Milner:Communication and Concurrency. Prentice-Hall, 1989
R. Milner, J. Parrow, D. Walker: Modal logics for mobile processes.Theoretical Computer Science, 1992. To appear
B. Steffen, A. Ingolfsdottir: Characteristic formulae for processes with divergence. Technical Report Technical Report 1/91, School of Congnitive and Computing Sciences, University of Sussex, 1991
C. Stirling: Modal logics for communicating systems.Theoretical Computer Science, (311–347), 1987
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was been supported by the SERC grant GR/H16537 and the ESPRIT BRA CONCUR II
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hennessy, M., Liu, X. A modal logic for message passing processes. Acta Informatica 32, 375–393 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01178384
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01178384