Abstract
The only way to verify the correctness of a distributed algorithm with a high degree of confidence is to construct a correctness proof that is so formal and rigorous as to be checkable by a machine. The chief aim of this paper is to show, via a simple but typical example, how such proofs can be constructed and checked using HOL—a mechanical theorem-proving system for higher-order logic. The secondary aim is to demonstrate a method for reasoning about distributed algorithms based on the notions of events and causality. The goal is to perform as much reasoning as possible in the events-and-causality view and then translate the results back to the processors-and-messages view, since the former is more abstract and easier to reason about than the latter. The example we use to illustrate our ideas is the verification of a simple distributed summation algorithm for trees. A companion paper [6] describes the formal graph theory needed for this task.
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References
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© 1994 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Chou, CT. (1994). Mechanical verification of distributed algorithms in higher-order logic. In: Melham, T.F., Camilleri, J. (eds) Higher Order Logic Theorem Proving and Its Applications. HUG 1994. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 859. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-58450-1_41
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-58450-1_41
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