Designing and Verifying Communication Protocols Using Model Driven Architecture and Spin Model Checker

TLDR: A 2-Phase strategy based on the UML state machine and sequence diagram is introduced to satisfy the properties of communication protocols and is compared with the developed UML models.

Abstract: The need of communication protocols in today’s environment increases as much as the network explores. Many new kinds of protocols, e.g. for information sharing, security, etc., are being developed day-to-day which often leads to rapid, premature developments. Many protocols have not scaled to satisfy important properties like deadlock and livelock freedom, since MDA focuses on the rapid development rather than on the quality of the developed models. In order to fix the above, we introduce a 2-Phase strategy based on the UML state machine and sequence diagram. The state machine is converted into PROMELA code as a protocol model and its properties are derived from the sequence diagram as Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) through automation. The PROMELA code is interpreted through the SPIN model checker, which helps to simulate the behavior of protocol. Later the automated LTL properties are supplemented to the SPIN for the verification of protocol properties. The results are compared with the developed UML model and SPIN simulated model. Our test results impress the designer to verify the expected results with the system design and to identify the errors which are unnoticed during the design phase.