We launch the new probabilistic model checker Storm. It features the analysis of discrete-and continuous-time variants of both Markov chains and MDPs. It supports the Prism and JANI modeling languages, probabilistic programs, dynamic fault trees and generalized stochastic Petri nets. It has a modular set-up in which solvers and symbolic engines can easily be exchanged. It offers a Python API for rapid prototyping by encapsulating Storm's fast and scalable algorithms. Experiments on a variety of benchmarks show its competitive performance.
This paper presents a retrospective view on probabilistic model checking. We focus on Markov decision processes (MDPs, for short). We survey the basic ingredients of MDP model checking and discuss its enormous developments since the seminal works by Courcoubetis and Yannakakis in the early 1990s. We discuss in particular the manifold facets of this field of research by surveying the verification of various MDP extensions, rich classes of properties, and their applications.
This paper presents a symbolic model checking algorithm for continuous-time Markov chains for an extension of the continuous stochastic logic CSL of Aziz et al [1]. The considered logic contains a time-bounded until-operator and a novel operator to express steadystate probabilities. We show that the model checking problem for this logic reduces to a system of linear equations (for unbounded until and the steady state-operator) and a Volterra integral equation system for timebounded until. We propose a symbolic approximate method for solving the integrals using MTDDs (multi-terminal decision diagrams), a generalisation of MTBDDs. These new structures are suitable for numerical integration using quadrature formulas based on equally-spaced abscissas, like trapezoidal, Simpson and Romberg integration schemes.
This paper presents various semantics in the branching-time spectrum of discrete-time and continuous-time Markov chains (DTMCs and CTMCs). Strong and weak bisimulation equivalence and simulation pre-orders are covered and are logically characterised in terms of the temporal logics PCTL (Probabilistic Computation Tree Logic) and CSL (Continuous Stochastic Logic). Apart from presenting various existing branching-time relations in a uniform manner, this paper presents the following new results: (i) strong simulation for CTMCs, (ii) weak simulation for CTMCs and DTMCs, (iii) logical characterizations thereof (including weak bisimulation for DTMCs), (iv) a relation between weak bisimulation and weak simulation equivalence, and (v) various connections between equivalences and pre-orders in the continuous-and discrete-time setting. The results are summarized in a branching-time spectrum for DTMCs and CTMCs elucidating their semantics as well as their relationship.
Abstract. We propose a conceptually simple technique for verifying probabilistic models whose transition probabilities are parametric. The key is to replace parametric transitions by nondeterministic choices of extremal values. Analysing the resulting parameter-free model using off-theshelf means yields (refinable) lower and upper bounds on probabilities of regions in the parameter space. The technique outperforms the existing analysis of parametric Markov chains by several orders of magnitude regarding both run-time and scalability. Its beauty is its applicability to various probabilistic models. It in particular provides the first sound and feasible method for performing parameter synthesis of Markov decision processes.
This paper presents a model-checking approach for analyzing discrete-time Markov reward models. For this purpose, the temporal logic probabilistic CTL is extended with reward constraints. This allows to formulate complex measures-involving expected as well as accumulated rewards-in a precise and succinct way. Algorithms to efficiently analyze such formulae are introduced. The approach is illustrated by model-checking a probabilistic cost model of the IPv4 zeroconf protocol for distributed address assignment in ad-hoc networks.
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