Course detail

Static Analysis and Verification

FIT-SAVAcad. year: 2019/2020

Introduction of basic terms, such as analysis and verification, formal analysis and verification, soundness and completeness, logical and physical time, safety and liveness, etc. Overview of various approaches to static analysis and verification and other alternative verification approaches. Introduction to temporal logics as one of the classical means of specification of desired system properties. Model checking for the LTL logic using Büchi automata. Use of automatically refined predicate abstraction as one of the most successful approaches towards model checking of software. Abstract interpretation as one of the most successful methods of static analysis: principles, algorithms, and an overview of the most prominent abstract domains. Data flow analysis: basic terms and principles, classical analyses used in optimizing compilers, design of new analyses, pointer analyses. Solving of the SAT and SMT problems, which are used (not only) within a lot of verification approaches. Verification based on symbolic execution, bounded model checking, and k-induction. Deductive verification of annotated programs (functions' pre- and postconditions, loop invariants). Binary decision diagrams as a means of efficient storage of (not only) state spaces. Introduction to automatic verification of termination of program runs (absence of looping) and automatic analysis of complexity.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

5

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Learning outcomes of the course unit

Students are acquainted with principles and methods of static analysis and verification and with their application within the process of designing computer systems. Students know capabilities and the basic ways of using computer-aided tools for static analysis and verification.
Acquired knowledge about the significance and possibilities of using methods and tools of static analysis and verification within the development of various kinds of systems and about their growing use in practice.

Prerequisites

Knowledge of discrete mathematics, the theory of formal languages, and algorithmics on the bachelor's level is assumed.

Co-requisites

Not applicable.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Not applicable.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

An evaluated project for 30 points. A final examination for 70 points. To be allowed to sit for the written examination, a student is to earn at least 15 points during the semester.
Exam prerequisites:
Having at least 50% of the possible point evaluation of the project.

Course curriculum

Not applicable.

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

The goal of the course is to get students acquainted with various methods of static analysis and verification that are commonly used in practice for finding bugs or proving correctness of systems. Students will be introduced to a variety of methods of static analysis and verification with their advantages and disadvantages. Moreover, the course will also present an overview of current tools that implement the discussed techniques and students will, through a project, obtain a first-hand practical experience with a chosen tool.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

Not applicable.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Not applicable.

Recommended reading

Aho, A.V., Lam, S., Sethi, R., Ullman, J.D.: Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools. Addison Wesley, 2nd ed., 2006. The part devoted to static analysis.
Valmari, A.: The State Explosion Problem. In Reisig, W., Rozenberg, G.: Lectures on Petri Nets I: Basic Models, volume 1491 of Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 429-528. Springer-Verlag, 1998.
Materials presented within the lectures and made accessible via the Internet.
Materials freely accessible on the Internet, especially papers and documentation related to the various computer-aided tools for static analysis and verification.
Clarke, E.M., Henzinger, Th.A., Veith, H., Bloem, R. (Eds.): Handbook of Model Checking, Springer International Publishing, 2018.
Moller, A., Schwartzbach, M.I.: Static Program Analysis, Department of Computer Science, Aarhus University, Denmark, 2018.

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme IT-MGR-2 Master's

    branch MBI , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    branch MPV , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    branch MGM , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    branch MIS , any year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
    branch MBS , any year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
    branch MIN , any year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional
    branch MMI , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    branch MMM , any year of study, winter semester, compulsory

  • Programme MITAI Master's

    specialization NADE , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NBIO , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NGRI , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NNET , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NVIZ , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NCPS , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NSEC , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NEMB , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NHPC , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NISD , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NIDE , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NISY , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NMAL , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NMAT , any year of study, winter semester, compulsory
    specialization NSEN , any year of study, winter semester, elective
    specialization NVER , any year of study, winter semester, compulsory
    specialization NSPE , any year of study, winter semester, elective

  • Programme IT-MGR-2 Master's

    branch MSK , 2. year of study, winter semester, compulsory-optional

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

39 hours, optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

Syllabus

  1. Notion of the terms analysis and verification. Classification of verified properties and systems. Overview of approaches to formal analysis and verification.
  2. Temporal logics CTL*, CTL, and LTL.
  3. Model checking of systems with properties specified in LTL using Büchiho automata.
  4. Model checking using predicate abstraction refined by exclusion of spurious counterexamples.
  5. Abstract Interpretation I: basic notions and principles.
  6. Abstract Interpretation II: an overview of practically successful abstract domains.
  7. Basic notions and principles of data flow analysis, classical data flow analyses.
  8. Advanced data flow analyses, pointer analyses.
  9. Verification of software using symbolic execution.
  10. Deductive verification of annotated programs.
  11. Solutions of the SAT and SMT problems as the enabling technology of many approaches to analysis and verification.
  12. Binary Decision Diagrams.
  13. Verification of termination of programs, automatic analysis of computational complexity.

Project

13 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

Syllabus

First-hand practical experience with a selected tool for static analysis or verification and the principles it is based on, reproduction of case studies available for the tool, student's own experiments with the tool, and composition of a report about the tool and the performed experiments.

E-learning texts

T. Vojnar. Static Analysis and Verification: Introduction. 2022/23. (en)