Verifying a Network Invariant for All Configurations of the Futurebus+ Cache Coherence Protocol

Abstract

In this paper we describe a network invariant for all configurations of the Futurebus+ Cache Coherence Protocol. The network invariant was computed with PAX and verified by a model checker. Using this invariant we are able to prove a specification of cache coherence correct for an arbitrary number of components on a single bus of the system. This specification includes a progress property not proven yet. We show how the result for the single bus system can be extended to tree-shaped systems. This is, as far as we know, the first uniform proof of the protocol with multiple data-buses.