A unified algebraic framework for specifying communication protocols

This paper provides a unified framework for the specification of communication protocols. This framework enables to integrate within algebraic specifications different formalisms permitting the description of dynamic aspects of distributed systems, such as temporal logic, Petri nets and process algebra. These integrations provide different languages allowing specifications which may include both data aspects and behavioural aspects of protocols. In addition, this paper gives a unified semantics for the different languages based on algebra and event structures. Finally, we will illustrate our framework by specifying the Alternating Bit Protocol using the different behavioural formalisms.