Efficient Approximate Verification of B via Symmetry Markers

We present a new approximate verification technique for B models. The technique employs symmetry of B models induced by the use of deferred sets. The basic idea is to efficiently compute markers for states, which are such that symmetric states are guaranteed to have the same marker (but not the other way around). The approximate verification algorithm then assumes that two states with the same marker can be considered symmetric. We describe how symmetry markers can be efficiently computed and empirically evaluate an implementation, showing both very good performance results and a high degree of precision (i.e., very few non-symmetric states receive the same marker). We also identify a class of B models for which the technique is precise.

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