A Structural Induction Theorem for Processes

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Robert P. Kurshan, Kenneth L. McMillan

Published: 1995, Last Modified: 05 Nov 2025Inf. Comput. 1995EveryoneRevisionsBibTeXCC BY-SA 4.0
Abstract: This paper deals with the formal verification of finite state systems that hav an arbitrary number of isomorphic components. We present a technique for inductively generalizing tests on a system of fixed size in order to show that a system of arbitrary size satisfies a given specification. This makes it possible to use finite state verification systems, such as COSPAN, to verify parameterized protocols. The method also may be useful for verifying systems of fixed but large size, since it reduces the size of the system that must be checked automatically. The basis of the method is a structural induction theorem for processes, which is stated and proved in this paper. The theorem applies to a variety of process formalisms satisfying simple algebraic laws. We give examples of proofs using the calculus of communicating systems (CCS) and the s/r model.