Process Algebra

Process Algebra is a formal description technique for complex computer systems, especially those involving communicating, concurrently executing components. It is a subject that concurrently touches many topic areas of computer science and discrete math, including system design notations, logic, concurrency theory, specification and verification, operational semantics, algorithms, complexity theory, and, of course, algebra.This Handbook documents the fate of process algebra since its inception in the late 1970's to the present. It is intended to serve as a reference source for researchers, students, and system designers and engineers interested in either the theory of process algebra or in learning what process algebra brings to the table as a formal system description and verification technique. The Handbook is divided into six parts spanning a total of 19 self-contained Chapters. The organization is as follows. Part 1, consisting of four chapters, covers a broad swath of the basic theory of process algebra. Part 2 contains two chapters devoted to the sub-specialization of process algebra known as finite-state processes, while the three chapters of Part 3 look at infinite-state processes, value-passing processes and mobile processes in particular. Part 4, also three chapters in length, explores several extensions to process algebra including real-time, probability and priority. The four chapters of Part 5 examine non-interleaving process algebras, while Part 6's three chapters address process-algebra tools and applications.

Presents a unified overview of the various process algebras currently in use and sets the standard for the field.

Automated and semi-automated manipulation of so-called labelled transition systems has become an important means in discovering flaws in software and hardware systems. Process algebra has been developed to express such labelled transition systems algebraically, which enhances the ways of manipulation by means of equational logic and term rewriting. The theory of process algebra has developed rapidly over the last twenty years, and verification tools have been developed on the basis of process algebra, often in cooperation with techniques related to model checking. This textbook gives a thorough introduction into the basics of process algebra and its applications.

Collects the Latest Research Involving the Application of Process Algebra to Computing Exploring state-of-the-art applications, Process Algebra for Parallel and Distributed Processing shows how one formal method of reasoning—process algebra—has become a powerful tool for solving design and implementation challenges of concurrent systems. Parallel Programming Divided into three parts, the book begins by parallelizing an algorithm for the Cell Broadband Engine processor of IBM, Sony, and Toshiba. It also develops a runtime environment that can be ported to different parallel platforms and describes the formal model of action systems. Distributed Systems The next part presents a process algebra (mCRL2) that targets distributed applications, looks at how to turn prose descriptions into unambiguous specifications, extends pi-calculus to create a service-oriented mobility abstract machine, and introduces the Channel Ambient Machine for mobile applications. Embedded Systems The final section combines state-based Z with the event-based process algebra CSP in a formal methodology called Circus. It also develops a pair of process algebras (PARS) to address the problem of scheduling in real-time embedded systems and emphasizes the reuse of concurrent artifacts across different hardware platforms. Highlighting recent research work, this volume addresses multicore programming problems and the evolution of the growing body of concurrency-enabled languages. It proposes solutions to the problems of designing and implementing today’s concurrency-constrained multicore processor and cloud architectures.

Handbook of Truly Concurrent Process Algebra provides readers with a detailed and in-depth explanation of the algebra used for concurrent computing. This complete handbook is divided into five Parts: Algebraic Theory for Reversible Computing, Probabilistic Process Algebra for True Concurrency, Actors – A Process Algebra-Based Approach, Secure Process Algebra, and Verification of Patterns. The author demonstrates actor models which are captured using the following characteristics: Concurrency, Asynchrony, Uniqueness, Concentration, Communication Dependency, Abstraction, and Persistence. Truly concurrent process algebras are generalizations of the corresponding traditional process algebras. Handbook of Truly Concurrent Process Algebra introduces several advanced extensions and applications of truly concurrent process algebras. Part 1: Algebraic Theory for Reversible Computing provides readers with all aspects of algebraic theory for reversible computing, including the basis of semantics, calculi for reversible computing, and axiomatization for reversible computing. Part 2: Probabilistic Process Algebra for True Concurrency provides readers with all aspects of probabilistic process algebra for true concurrency, including the basis of semantics, calculi for probabilistic computing, axiomatization for probabilistic computing, as well as mobile calculi for probabilistic computing. Part 3: Actors - A Process Algebra-Based Approach bridges the two concurrent models, process algebra and actors, by capturing the actor model in the following characteristics: Concurrency, Asynchrony, Uniqueness, Concentration, Communication Dependency, Abstraction, and Persistence. Part 4: Secure Process Algebra demonstrates the advantages of process algebra in verifying security protocols – it has a firmly theoretic foundation and rich expressive powers to describe security protocols. Part 5: Verification of Patterns formalizes software patterns according to the categories of the patterns and verifies the correctness of patterns based on truly concurrent process algebra. Every pattern is detailed according to a regular format to be understood and utilized easily, which includes introduction to a pattern and its verifications. Patterns of the vertical domains are also provided, including the domains of networked objects and resource management. To help readers develop and implement the software patterns scientifically, the pattern languages are also presented. Presents all aspects of full algebraic reversible computing, including the basis of semantics, calculi for full reversible computing, and axiomatization for full reversible computing Introduces algebraic properties and laws for probabilistic computing, one of the foundational concepts of Computer Science Presents the calculi for probabilistic computing, including the basis of semantics and calculi for reversible computing

Timing issues are of growing importance for the conceptualization and design of computer-based systems. Timing may simply be essential for the correct behaviour of a system, e.g. of a controller. Even if timing is not essential for the correct behaviour of a system, there may be good reasons to introduce it in such a way that suitable timing becomes relevant for the correct behaviour of a complex system. This book is unique in presenting four algebraic theories about processes, each dealing with timing from a different point of view, in a coherent and systematic way. The timing of actions is either relative or absolute and the underlying time scale is either discrete or continuous.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Joint Workshop on Process Algebra and Performance Modeling and Probabilistic Methods in Verification, PAPM-PROBMIV 2001, held in Aachen, Germany in September 2001. The 12 revised full papers presented together with one invited paper were carefully reviewed and selected from 23 submissions. Among the topics addressed are model representation, model checking, probabilistic systems analysis, refinement, Markov chains, random variables, stochastic timed systems, Max-Plus algebra, process algebra, system modeling, and the Mobius modeling framework.