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How to Combine Z with a Process Algebra

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ZUM ’98: The Z Formal Specification Notation (ZUM 1998)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1493))

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Abstract

The specification language Z has been designed to describe data and functional aspects of systems, but it does not define a semantics for specifications in a distributed setting. Process algebras, on the other hand, concentrate on the behaviour of communicating agents. For this reason the combination of Z with a process algebra recently got a lot of attention. In this paper we summarise and categorise the different approaches and identify pitfalls and shortcomings in existing combinations. Thereby we give an overview over the many possible answers to the question: ‘What is the behavioural semantics of a Z specification?’

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. FB Informatik, University of Oldenburg, P.O. Box 2503, 26111, Oldenburg, Germany

    Clemens Fischer

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  1. Clemens Fischer
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science Whiteknights, The University of Reading, PO Box 225, RG6 6AY, Reading, Berks, UK

    Jonathan P. Bowen

  2. Software Technology Laboratory, Daimler-Benz AG, Research and Technology, Alt-Moabit 96a, D-10559, Berlin, Germany

    Andreas Fett

  3. Department of Computer Science, Loyola College in Maryland, 21210, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Michael G. Hinchey

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© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Fischer, C. (1998). How to Combine Z with a Process Algebra. In: Bowen, J.P., Fett, A., Hinchey, M.G. (eds) ZUM ’98: The Z Formal Specification Notation. ZUM 1998. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1493. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-49676-2_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-49676-2_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-65070-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49676-2

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