Formal methods reality check: industrial usage

Author

Craigen, Dan ; Gerhart, Susan ; Ralston, Ted

Author_Institution

ORA Canada, Ottawa, Ont., Canada

Volume

21

Issue

2

fYear

1995

fDate

2/1/1995 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

90

Lastpage

98

Abstract

Based on a systematic survey and analysis of the use of formal methods in the development of a dozen industrial applications, we summarize the methods being used, characterize the styles of industrial usage, and provide recommendations for evolutionary enhancements to the technology base of formal methods. The industrial applications ranged from reverse engineering to system certification; code scale ranges from 1 KLOC to 10 KLOC´s. Applications included a software infrastructure for oscilloscopes; a shutdown system for a nuclear generating station; a train protection system; an airline collision avoidance system; an engine monitoring system for shipboard engines; attitude control of satellites; security properties of both a smartcard device and a network; arithmetic units; transaction processing; a real-time database for a medical instrument; and a restructuring program for COBOL

Keywords

formal specification; manufacture; program verification; real-time systems; KLOC; code scale ranges; evolutionary enhancements; formal methods reality check; industrial applications; industrial usage; reverse engineering; software infrastructure; system certification; systematic survey; Application software; Biomedical monitoring; Certification; Collision avoidance; Electrical equipment industry; Engines; Nuclear power generation; Oscilloscopes; Protection; Reverse engineering;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Software Engineering, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0098-5589

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/32.345825

Filename

345825