An Automata-Theoretic Approach to Reasoning about Parameterized Systems and Specifications

Abstract

We introduce generalized register automata (GRAs) and study their properties and applications in reasoning about systems and specifications over infinite domains. We show that GRAs can capture both VLTL – a logic that extends LTL with variables over infinite domains, and abstract systems – finite state systems whose atomic propositions are parameterized by variable over infinite domains. VLTL and abstract systems naturally model and specify infinite-state systems in which the source of infinity is the data domain (c.f., range of processes id, context of messages). Thus, GRAs suggest an automata-theoretic approach for reasoning about such systems. We demonstrate the usefulness of the approach by pushing forward the known border of decidability for the model-checking problem in this setting. From a theoretical point of view, GRAs extend register automata and are related to other formalisms for defining languages over infinite alphabets.