Checking Cache-Coherence Protocols with TLA+

Model Checking TLA+ Specifications

TLA is a specification language for concurrent and reactive systems that combines the temporal logic TLA with full first-order logic and ZF set theory. TLC is a new model checker for debugging a TLA specification by checking invariance properties of a finite-state model of the specification. It accepts a subclass of TLA specifications that should include most descriptions of real system designs...

TLA Verification of Cache-Coherence Protocols

Cache Coherence Verification with TLA+

We used the specification language TLA+ to analyze the correctness of two cache-coherence protocols for shared-memory multiprocessors based on two generations (EV6 and EV7) of the Alpha processor. A memory model defines the relationship between the values written by one processor and the values read by another, and a cache-coherence protocol manipulates the caches to preserve this relationship....

Verification techniques for cache coherence protocols . by Fong Pong and Michel Dubois

A comprehensive survey on the current research efforts to verify the cache coherence protocols is presented. Methods with mechanical verification procedures such as the state enumeration (symbolic), model checking, and symbolic state model are specifically discussed. The underlying approach of each method to handle the state space explosion problem for verification is focused. The efficiency an...

Proofs of Correctness of Cache-Coherence Protocols

We describe two proofs of correctness for Cachet, an adaptive cache-coherence protocol. Each proof demonstrates soundness (conformance to an abstract cache memory model CRF) and liveness. One proof is manual, based on a term-rewriting system de nition; the other is machine-assisted, based on a TLA formulation and using PVS. A twostage presentation of the protocol simpli es the treatment of soun...