Wrapping real-time systems from temporal logic specifications

This paper defines a methodology for developing wrappers for real-time systems starting from temporal logic specifications. Error confinement wrappers are automatically generated, from the specifications of the target real-time system. The resulting wrappers are the executable version of the specifications, and account for both timing and functional constraints. They are executed on-line by a runtime checker, a sort of virtual machine that interprets temporal logic. A reflective approach is used to implement an observation layer placed between the runtime checker and the target system. It allows the wrappers to obtain the necessary event and data items from the target system so as to perform at runtime the checks defined by the temporal logic specifications. The proposed method has been applied to the use of real-time microkernels in dependable systems. Fault injection is used to assess the detection coverage of the wrappers and analyze trade-offs between performance and coverage.