A compiler to implement LOTOS specifications in distributed environments

In this paper, we propose a method for implementing distributed systems usi ng the formal description language LOTOS. First, we give a sub-class of LOT OS for specifying distributed systems. In the sub-class, each system's beha vior is described as a set of interacting processes where each process is a ssigned to a specific node of a distributed system and inter-node process i nteraction is specified with LOTOS operators such as choice, disabling and multi-way synchronization. We propose a method to implement such a LOTOS sp ecification as a set of programs which run on the corresponding nodes coope rating with each other by exchanging messages. In the proposed method, we t ransform processes assigned to a node into a multi-threaded executable prog ram, and implement LOTOS operators specified among processes on distributed nodes with total-order broadcast communication. We have developed a LOTOS compiler based on the proposed method. Some experimental results show that programs generated from distributed systems' specifications can be used as prototypes for practical use or for performance evaluation/analysis. (C) 20 01 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.