Starts with a brief review of the history and the application areas considered in the literature. The author then proceeds with introductory modeling examples, behavioral and structural properties, three methods of analysis, subclasses of Petri nets and their analysis. In particular, one section is devoted to marked graphs, the concurrent system model most amenable to analysis. Introductory discussions on stochastic nets with their application to performance modeling, and on high-level nets with their application to logic programming, are provided. Also included are recent results on reachability criteria. Suggestions are provided for further reading on many subject areas of Petri nets. >

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Petri nets: Properties, analysis and applications

From the Publisher:
Deliberately non-mathematical, this user-friendly tutorial contains extensive introductory information on formal methods and the three Formal Description Techniques (FDTs). Easy-to-follow instructions demonstrate how to develop specifications and implementations using FDTs. Features valuable material on existing tools and gives references to publications, workshops, conferences and symposia where you can obtain the latest information on FDTs, their applications and tools. Copiously illustrated with examples.

/pdf/using-formal-description-techniques-an-introduction-to-3ru340azb6.pdf

Using Formal Description Techniques: An Introduction to Estelle, Lotos, and SDL

Proposes the observer concept for designing self-checking distributed systems, i.e. systems that detect erroneous behaviors as soon as errors act at some observable output level. The approach provides a solution to build systems whose on-line behavior is checked against a formal model derived from a formal description. In other words, the actual implementation is continuously checked against a reference, this reference being a formal and verified model of some adequately selected aspects of the system behavior. The corresponding methodology, the software concepts and some applications of the observer are presented. General definitions are given first that theoretically define self-checking systems as systems that include and implement complete on-line validation. The basic concepts and the difficulties to implement self-checking validation are then given. In order to provide simple implementations, the previous definitions are weakened to design quasi-self-checking observers for LANs using a broadcast service. Three specific applications are given to illustrate the proposed approach: testing a virtual ring MAC protocol, checking the link and transport layers in an industrial LAN, and managing a complete OSI layering, from layer 2 to layer 6, in an open system architecture. >

Observer-a concept for formal on-line validation of distributed systems

The goal of net reduction is to increase the effectiveness of Petri-netbased real-time program analysis. Petri-net-based analysis, like all reachabilitybased methods, suffers from the state explosion problem. Petri net reduction is one key method for combating this problem.

In this paper, we extend several rules for the reduction of ordinary Petri nets to work with time Petri nets. We introduce a notion of equivalence among time Petri nets, and prove that our reduction rules yield equivalent nets. This notion of equivalence guarantees that crucial timing and concurrency properties are preserved.

Reduction rules for time Petri nets

This paper presents a new approach to modelling and verification of function block applications of the IEC 61499 standard. The approach uses the language of logic programming Prolog to represent a model of function block network and to verify its properties. The class of properties that can be checked is extended to more substantial queries providing in return not only "yes" or "no", but also the parameters explaining the reasons. The models essentially use the topological properties of the function block network and allow data of arbitrary types (not only Boolean) be used in the queries.

Modelling and Verification of IEC 61499 Applications using Prolog

This paper presents a formal description technique for distributed systems The basic choices concern Petri Nets as a modeling tool and PROLOG as a programming environment The key elements of the introduced approach are a symbolic interpreter for Predicate Transition Nets, and a technique for interfacing concurrent processes Several illustrative examples are provided

Michel Montbernard

Papers

Specification and verification of distributed systems using prolog interpreted petri nets.