Model-Checking SS 2014

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Model-Checking is a technique for automatic verification of hardware and software systems. Given a system and a correctness specification, a model checker checks if the system works correctly.

Model Checking was invented in the mid 80s, and has made enormous progress, especially in the hardware sector. Nowadays all major hardware manufacturers have Model-Checking groups which have developed software tools for the verification of large circuits. In 2008, the inventors of Model Checking received the Turing-Award.

The course introduces the basics of Model Checking. It starts by showing how to model systems, and how to express correctness specifications using temporal logic. It then describes algorithms that automatically decide whether the model satisfies the properties. The course also presents some of the most popular academic Model-Checking tools, like Spin and NuSMV.

The only prerequisites for the course are basic notions of logic, graph theory, and algorithms.