Runtime Verification of Generalized Test Tables

Abstract

Runtime verification allows validation of systems during their operation by monitoring crucial system properties. It is common to generate monitors from temporal specifications formulated in languages like MTL or LTL. However, writing formal specifications might be an obstacle for practitioners. In this paper we present an approach and a tool for generating software monitors for reactive systems from a set of Generalized Test Tables (GTTs)—a table-based, user-friendly specification language specially designed for engineers. The tool is a valuable addition to the already existing static verifier for GTTs since assumptions made in specifications can thus be validated at runtime. Moreover, it makes software and specifications amenable for formal validation that cannot be verified statically. Moreover, the approach is particularly well-suited for the specification of workflows as a collection of tables since it supports dynamic, trigger-based spawning of monitors. The tool produces monitor code in C++ for tables provided in an existing table definition format. We show the usefulness of our approach using characteristic examples.