Formal methods for mobility standards

Precise specification and exacting verification and validation of protocol standards are essential for their successful development and implementation. Currently, several languages (called FDT for formal description techniques) are available to address this issue. FDT have reached various degrees of acceptance, but their use in standard development in North America has been limited. This paper represents an attempt towards divulging the knowledge of what exists and how it can be used effectively based on the methods that were found most useful in our work on mobility protocols. The FDT considered are, in alphabetical order: the Abstract Syntax Notation 1 (ASN 1), the Language of Temporal Ordering Specifications (LOTOS), Message Sequence Charts (MSC), the Specification and Description Language (SDL) and the Tree and Tabular Combined Notation (TTCN). Also considered is a new, emerging non-formal technique, called Use Case Maps (UCM).

[1]  Tommaso Bolognesi,et al.  LOTOSphere: Software Development with LOTOS , 1995, Springer US.

[2]  Dan Craigen,et al.  Industrial applications of formal methods to model, design and analyze computer systems: an international survey , 1995 .

[3]  Iso. Lotos,et al.  A Formal Description Technique Based on the Temporal Ordering of Observational Behaviour , 1985 .

[4]  Daniel Amyot,et al.  Use case maps for the capture and validation of distributed systems requirements , 1999, Proceedings IEEE International Symposium on Requirements Engineering (Cat. No.PR00188).

[5]  X Itu-tRec.,et al.  Information Technology-Open Systems Interconnection , 1993 .

[6]  Rolv Bræk.  SDL Basics , 1996, Comput. Networks ISDN Syst..

[7]  Daniel Amyot,et al.  Formal Specification and Validation using a Scenario-Based Approach: The GPRS Group-Call Example , 1997 .

[8]  R. J. A. Buhr,et al.  Use Case Maps for Object-Oriented Systems , 1995 .

[9]  Mark A. Ardis,et al.  A Framework for Evaluating Specification Methods for Reactive Systems , 1995, 1995 17th International Conference on Software Engineering.

[10]  Itu-T.  Specification and Description Language (SDL) , 1999 .

[11]  P. T. Barry,et al.  Abstract syntax notation-one (ASN.1) , 1992 .

[12]  Harry Rudin,et al.  Formal Methods after 15 Years: Status and Trends (Paper based on contributions of the panelists at the FORmal TEchnique '95, Conference, Montreal, October 1995) , 1996, Comput. Networks ISDN Syst..

[13]  Raymond J. A. Buhr,et al.  Use Case Maps as Architectural Entities for Complex Systems , 1998, IEEE Trans. Software Eng..

[14]  Matthias Jarke,et al.  Scenarios in System Development: Current Practice , 1998, IEEE Softw..

[15]  Robert L. Probert,et al.  TTCN: The International Notation for Specifying Tests of Communcations Systems , 1992, Comput. Networks ISDN Syst..