Skip to main content
Log in

Formal methods for telecommunication system requirements: A survey of standardized languages

  • Published:
Annals of Software Engineering

Abstract

Modern telecommunications systems are so complicated that informal languages are no longer sufficient for expressing their requirements. A brief introduction to the nature of requirements for telecommunication systems is given in this paper. The three standardized formal languages for telecommunications, Estelle, LOTOS, and SDL, are described and compared. Each language is evaluated, and a comparison of all three is offered. Throughout the paper a common example is used.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aho, A.V. and J.D. Ullman (1972), The Theory of Parsing, Translation, and Compiling, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ardis, M. (1994), “Lessons from Using Basic LOTOS,” In Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Software Engineering, IEEE Computer Society Press, Los Alamitos, CA, pp. 5–14.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ardis, M., J.A. Chaves, L.J. Jagadeesan, P. Mataga, C. Puchol, M. Staskauskas, and J. VonOlnhausen (1996), “A Framework for Evaluating Specification Methods for Reactive Systems,” IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering 22,6, 378–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellcore (1991), “Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) Transport Systems: Common Generic Criteria,” Technical Report TR-NWT-000253, Issue 2, Bellcore, Red Bank, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berry, G. and G. Gonthier (1992), “The ESTEREL Synchronous Programming Language: Design, Semantics, Implementation,” Science of Computer Programming 19, 87–152.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Bolognesi, T. and E. Brinksma (1987), “Introduction to the ISO Specification Language LOTOS,” Computer Networks and ISDN Systems 14, 25–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chaves, J.A. (1992), “Formal Methods at AT&T — an Industrial Usage Report,” In Proceedings of Formal Description Techniques IV, North-Holland, Amsterdam, pp. 83–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cleaveland, R., J. Parrow, and B. Steffen (1993), “The Concurrency Workbench: A Semantics-Based Tool for the Verification of Finite-State Systems,” ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems 15,1, 36–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dauphin, M., G. Fonade, and R. Reed (1993), “SPECS: Making Formal Techniques Usable,” IEEE Software 10,6, 55–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harel, D. (1987), “Statecharts, a Visual Formalism for Complex Systems,” Science of Computer Programming 8, 231–274.

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Hoare, C.A.R. (1985), Communicating Sequential Processes, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Holzmann, G.J. (1992), “Practical Methods for the Formal Validation of SDL Specifications,” Computer Communications 15,2, pp. 129–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ISO (1989), “ESTELLE — A Formal Description Technique Based on an Extended State Transition Model,” International Standard ISO 9074, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland.

    Google Scholar 

  • ISO (1989), “LOTOS — A Formal Description Technique Based on the Temporal Ordering of Observational Behavior,” International Standard ISO 8807, International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland.

    Google Scholar 

  • ITU-T (1993), “Message Sequence Chart (MSC),” Recommendation Z.120, International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland.

    Google Scholar 

  • ITU-T (1993), “Specification and Description Language SDL,” Recommendation Z.100, International Telecommunication Union, Geneva, Switzerland.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones, C.B. (1990), Systematic Software Construction Using VDM, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mataga, P.A. and P. Zave (1995), “Multiparadigm Specification of an AT&T Switching system,” In Applications of Formal Methods, M.G. Hinchey and J.P. Bowen, Eds., Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, pp. 375–398.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milner, R. (1980), A Calculus of Communicating Systems, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 92, Springer, Berlin, Germany.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, J.L. (1977), “Petri Nets,” ACM Computing Surveys 9,3, 223–252.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Spivey, J.M. (1992), The Z Notation: A Reference Manual, Second Edition, Prentice Hall International, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vissers, C.A., G. Scollo, M. van Sinderen, and E. Brinksma (1991), “Specification Styles in Distributed Systems Design and Verification,” Theoretical Computer Science 89, 179–206.

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ardis, M.A. Formal methods for telecommunication system requirements: A survey of standardized languages. Annals of Software Engineering 3, 157–187 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018981703781

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018981703781

Keywords

Navigation