Executable Requirements Specifications Using Triggered Message Sequence Charts

Triggered Message Sequence Charts (TMSCs) are a scenario-based visual formalism for early stage requirements specifications of distributed systems. In this paper, we present a formal operational semantics for TMSCs that allow the simulation of TMSC system descriptions, so that errors and inconsistencies in specification may be detected early on. The semantics is defined in terms of Structured Operational Semantics (SOS) rules that guide the step-wise execution of TMSC specifications. We also consider the equivalence of this semantics and the TMSC denotational semantics that has been presented in previous work.

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