Finite-state self-stabilizing protocols in message-passing systems

We define a finite-state message-passing model using guarded commands. This model is particularly appropriate for defining and reasoning about self-stabilizing protocols, due to the well-known result that self-stabilizing protocols on unbounded-channel models must have infinitely many legitimate states. We argue that our model is more realistic than other models, and demonstrate its use with a simple example. We conclude by discussing how self-stabilizing protocols defined on this model might be implemented directly on actual networks.