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[KNS03b] M. Kwiatkowska, G. Norman and J. Sproston. Probabilistic Model Checking of Deadline Properties in the IEEE1394 FireWire Root Contention Protocol. Formal Aspects of Computing, 14(3), pages 295-318. April 2003. [ps.gz] [pdf] [bib]
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Abstract. The interplay of real-time and probability is crucial to the correctness of the IEEE 1394 FireWire root contention protocol. We present a formal verification of the protocol using probabilistic model checking. Rather than analyze the functional aspects of the protocol, by asking such questions as "will a leader be elected?", we focus on the protocol's performance, by asking the question "how certain are we that a leader will be elected sufficiently quickly?" Probabilistic timed automata are used to formally model and verify the protocol against properties which require that a leader is elected before a deadline with a certain probability. We use techniques such as abstraction, reachability analysis, and integer-time semantics to aid the model-checking process, and the efficacy of these techniques is compared.

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