An action-based framework for verifying logical and behavioural properties of concurrent systems

A system is described which supports proving both behavioural and logical properties of concurrent systems; these are specified by means of a process algebra and its associated logic. The logic is an action based version of the branching time logic CTL, which we call ACTL. It is interpreted over transition labelled structures while CTL is interpreted over state labelled ones. The core of the system are two existing tools, AUTO and EMC. The first builds the labelled transition system corresponding to a term of a process algebra and permits proof of equivalence and simplification of terms, while the second checks the validity of CTL logical formulae. The integration is realized by means of two translation functions from the action based branching time logic ACTL to CTL and from transition-labelled to state-labelled structures. The correctness of the integration is guaranteed by the proof that the two translation functions when coupled preserve satisfiability of logical formulae.