Model Checking RSML-e Requirements

Abstract

Model checking is a promising technique for automated verification or refutation of software systems. Nevertheless, it has not been used widely in practice mainly due to the lack of the supporting tools that incorporate the model checking activity into the development process. As a part of our overall method supporting specification centered system development, we have implemented a translator between a formal specification language RSML-e and a symbolic model checker NuSMV.

Our translation and abstraction approach aims at usability in practice so that model checking can be used as a routine process during requirement analysis without requiring much knowledge about formal methods. Preliminary result from applying the system in a commercial setting is quite promising. In this paper, we discuss our translation and abstraction approach in some depth and illustrate its feasibility with some preliminary results.