43133187
Parameterized Verification of pi-Calculus Systems
In this paper we present an automatic verification technique for parameterized systems where the subsystem behavior is modeled using the π-calculus. At its core, our technique treats each process instance in a system as a property transformer. Given a property ϕ that we want to verify of an N-process system, we use a partial model checker to infer the property ϕ′ (stated as a formula in a sufficiently rich logic) that must hold of an (N – 1)-process system. If the sequence of formulas ϕ,ϕ′,... thus constructed converges, and the limit is satisfied by the deadlocked process, we can conclude that the N-process system satisfies ϕ. To this end, we develop a partial model checker for the π-calculus that uses an expressive value-passing logic as the property language. We also develop a number of optimizations to make the model checker efficient enough for routine use, and a light-weight widening operator to accelerate convergence. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our technique by using it to verify properties of a wide variety of parameterized systems that are beyond the reach of existing techniques.
37245904
Model checking the Java meta-locking algorithm
We apply the XMC model checker to the Java meta-locking algorithm, a highly optimized technique for ensuring mutually exclusive access by threads to object monitor queues. Our abstract specification of the meta-locking algorithm is fully parameterized, both on M, the number of threads, and N, the number of objects. Using XMC, we show that for a variety of values of M and N, the algorithm indeed provides mutual exclusion and freedom from lockout.
15323130
MoSCoE: A Framework for Modeling Web Service Composition and Execution
Development of sound approaches and software tools for specification, assembly, and deployment of composite Web services from independently developed components promises to enhance collaborative software design and reuse. In this context, the proposed research introduces a new incremental approach to service composition, MoSCoE (Modeling Web Service Composition and Execution), based on the three steps of abstraction, composition and refinement. Abstraction refers to the high-level description of the service desired (goal) by the user, which drives the identification of an appropriate composition strategy. In the event that such a composition is not realizable, MoSCoE guides the user through successive refinements of the specification towards a realizable goal service that meets the user requirements.
16902988
A Cost-Sensitive Model for Preemptive Intrusion Response Systems
The proliferation of complex and fast-spreading intrusions not only requires advances in intrusion detection mechanisms but also demands development of sophisticated and automated intrusion response systems. In this paper we present a novel cost-sensitive model for intrusion response that incorporates preemptive deployment of the response actions. Specifically, our technique relies on comparing the cost of deploying a response against the cost of damage caused by an "'un-attended" intrusion and decides to preemptively deploy a response with maximum benefit. Our technique further allows adaptation of responses to the changing environment through evaluation of success and failure of previously triggered responses. We demonstrate the advantages of the approach and evaluate it using a damage reduction metric.
2511594
Specification Synthesis for Monitoring and Analysis of MANET Protocols
This paper introduces an approach to automatic synthesis of the specification models of routing protocol behavior from the observed flow of the network traffic. In particular, our technique generalizes the monitored sequences of routing messages constructing a high-level abstract view of the protocol. The basis of our method is similar to inductive logic programming technique that derives a sound hypothesis from the individual examples. The preliminary experiments are presented on the example of AODV ad-hoc routing protocol.
8152994
Localizing Program Errors for Cimple Debugging
We present automated techniques for the explanation of counter-examples, where a counter-example should be understood as a sequence of program statements. Our approach is based on variable dependency analysis and is applicable to programs written in Cimple, an expressive subset of the C programming language. Central to our approach is the derivation of a focus-statement sequence (FSS) from a given counter-example: a subsequence of the counter-example containing only those program statements that directly or indirectly affect the variable valuation leading to the program error behind the counter-example. We develop a ranking procedure for FSSs where FSSs of higher rank are conceptually easier to understand and correct than those of lower rank. We also analyze constraints over uninitialized variables in order to localize program errors to specific program segments; this often allows the user to subsequently take appropriate debugging measures. We have implemented our techniques in the FocusCheck model checker, which efficiently checks for assertion violations in Cimple programs on a per-procedure basis. The practical utility of our approach is illustrated by its successful application to a fast, linear-time median identification algorithm commonly used in statistical analysis and in the Resolution Advisory module of the Traffic Collision Avoidance System.
9966669
Resource allocation for remote desktop sessions in Utility Grids
SUMMARY Emerging large scale utility computing systems such as Grids promise computing and storage to be provided to end users as a utility. System management services deployed in the middleware are a key to enabling this vision. Utility Grids provide a challenge in terms of scale, dynamism, and heterogeneity of resources and workloads. In this paper, we present a model based architecture for resource allocation services for Utility Grids. The proposed service is built in the context of interactive remote desktop session workloads and takes application performance QoS models into consideration. The key design guidelines are hierarchical request structure, application performance models, remote desktop session performance models, site admission control, multi-variable resource assignment system, and runtime session admission control. We have also built a simulation framework that can handle mixed batch and remote desktop session requests, and have implemented our proposed resource allocation service into the framework. We present some results from experiments done using the framework. Our proposed architecture for resource allocation services addresses the needs of emerging utility computing systems and captures the key concepts and guidelines for building such services in these environments.
9536962
On the combinatorial and algebraic complexity of quantifier elimination
In this paper, a new algorithm for performing quantifier elimination from first order formulas over real closed fields in given. This algorithm improves the complexity of the asymptotically fastest algorithm for this problem, known to this data. A new feature of this algorithm is that the role of the algebraic part (the dependence on the degrees of the imput polynomials) and the combinatorial part (the dependence on the number of polynomials) are sparated. Another new feature is that the degrees of the polynomials in the equivalent quantifier-free formula that is output, are independent of the number of input polynomials. As special cases of this algorithm new and improved algorithms for deciding a sentence in the first order theory over real closed fields, and also for solving the existential problem in the first order theory over real closed fields, are obtained.
12026284
mmGrid: distributed resource management infrastructure for multimedia applications
We are developing mmGrid (Multimedia Grid) as an extensible middleware architecture supporting multimedia applications in a grid computing environment. Our vision is to provide support for interactive applications from the following domains: graphics, visualization, streaming media and tele-immersion. The initial deployment will be within an enterprise as a mechanism for provisioning computing resources. However the scheduling system of mmGrid will be flexible, and will allow interactive and batch jobs to use the grid-computing paradigm. This paper presents our argument for using remote display technology in this environment. We also report on the use cases we support at this point, the system architecture for mmGrid and our research directions.
17954434
Fast proxy delivery of multiple streaming sessions in shared running buffers
With the falling price of memory, an increasing number of multimedia servers and proxies are now equipped with a large memory space. Caching media objects in the memory of a proxy helps to reduce the network traffic, the disk I/O bandwidth requirement, and the data delivery latency. The running buffer approach and its alternatives are representative techniques to caching streaming data in the memory. There are two limits in the existing techniques. First, although multiple running buffers for the same media object co-exist in a given processing period, data sharing among multiple buffers is not considered. Second, user access patterns are not insightfully considered in the buffer management. In this paper, we propose two techniques based on shared running buffers in the proxy to address these limits. Considering user access patterns and characteristics of the requested media objects, our techniques adaptively allocate memory buffers to fully utilize the currently buffered data of streaming sessions, with the aim to reduce both the server load and the network traffic. Experimentally comparing with several existing techniques, we show that the proposed techniques achieve significant performance improvement by effectively using the shared running buffers.
761465
New results on quantifier elimination over real closed fields and applications to constraint databases
In this paper, we give a new algorithm for quantifier elimination in the first order theory of real closed fields that improves the complexity of the best known algorithm for this problem till now. Unlike previously known algorithms [Basu et al. 1996; Renegar 1992; Heintz et al. 1990], the combinatorial part of the complexity (the part depending on the number of polynomials in the input) of this new algorithm is independent of the number of free variables. Moreover, under the assumption that each polynomial in the input depends only on a constant number of the free variables, the algebraic part of the complexity(the part depending on the degrees of the input polynomials) can also be made independent of the number of free variables. This new feature of our algorithm allow us to obtain a new algorithm for a variant of the quantifier elimination problem. We give an almost optimal algorithm for this new problem, which we call the uniform quantifier elimination problem.
Using tthe uniform quantifier elimination algorithm, we give an algorithm for solving a problem arising in the field of constraint databases with real polynomial constraints. We give an algorithm for converting a query with natural domain semantics to an equivalent one with active domain semantics. A nonconstructive version of this result was proved in Benedikt et al. [1998]. Very recently, a constructive proof was also given independently in Benedikt and Libkin [1997]. However, complexity issues were not considered and no algorithm with a reasonable complexity bound was known for this latter problem till now.
We also point out interesting logical consequences of this algorithmic result, concerning the expressive power of a constraint query language over the reals. This leads to simpler and constructive proofs for these inexpressibility results than the ones known before.
Moreover, our improved algorithm for performing quantifier elimination immediately leads to improved algorithms for several problems for which quantifier elimination is a basic step, for example, the problem of computing the closure of a given semi-algebraic set.