Semantics for Safe Concurrency

Abstract We present two systems for modelling safe concurrency. The first is an automata-based system,calledpredecessor automata(PAs). The second is a language-based system, calledData PathExpressions(DPEs). In a previous paper [Hseush 90], we presented a hierarchy of DPEs anddescribed PAs as a mechanism for implementing the safe DPEs from the viewpoint of paralleldebugging. In this paper, we formalize these two models and investigate the power of PAs andDPEs.keywords:formal models, path expressions, Petri nets, synchronization, predecessor automataCopyright 1990 Wenwey Hseush, Timothy S. Balraj, Gail E. Kaiser and Krish Ponamgi + Hseush is supported in part by the Center for Telecommunications Research. Balraj is supported by DARPA++project grant F29601-87-C-0074 and by grants from IBM and Citicorp. +++Kaiser is supported by National ScienceFoundation grants CCR-8858029 and CCR-8802741, by grants from IBM, AT&T, Citicorp, DEC, Siemens, Sun and Xerox, by the Center for Advanced Technology and by the Center for Telecommunications Research.

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