About NuSMV-a

NuSMV-a is an extension of NuSMV 2.6.0 that adds the command line option -a for printing and saving the accepting states of queries. It was written by Frederike Heinitz and Sarah Nee as part of a software internship under the supervision of Hannes Klarner at the Freie Universität Berlin.

How to use the command line option -a

The command line option -a adds support for printing initial states, accepting states and initial and accepting states of a BDD representing a CTL specification to the nusmv model checking procedure. Sets of states are represented as factored formulas, that is, as algebraic sums and products of state variables that represent the respective states. In addition the integer cardinality of each set is given.

The initial states represent the possible starting points of the given CTL property. They are specified by the user. TRUE means that the verification of the formula can start at any state of the transition system.

The accepting states are the states in which the CTL specification holds.

The initial and accepting states are the initial states in which the CTL specification holds.

batch mode

• Example file used: raf_network.smv
• Command for output on the command line: nusmv -a print raf_network.smv
• Generated output:

-- specification (EF ((!Erk & !Mek) & Raf) & EF ((Erk & Mek) & Raf))  is false

initial states: TRUE
number of initial states: 8
accepting states: !(Erk & (Mek) | !Erk & ((Raf) | !Mek))
number of accepting states: 3
initial and accepting States: !(Erk & (Mek) | !Erk & ((Raf) | !Mek))
number of initial and accepting states: 3

-- specification (!(EF ((!Erk & !Mek) & Raf)) & EF ((Erk & Mek) & Raf))  is false

initial states: TRUE
number of initial states: 8
accepting states: Erk & (Mek) | !Erk & (Mek & (Raf))
number of accepting states: 3
initial and accepting States: Erk & (Mek) | !Erk & (Mek & (Raf))
number of initial and accepting states: 3

-- specification (EF ((!Erk & !Mek) & Raf) & !(EF ((Erk & Mek) & Raf)))  is false

initial states: TRUE
number of initial states: 8
accepting states: !(Erk | (Mek))
number of accepting states: 2
initial and accepting States: !(Erk | (Mek))
number of initial and accepting states: 2

• Command for output into the file output.txt: nusmv -a output.txt raf_network.smv
• Generated output:

CTLSPEC:              (EF ((!Erk & !Mek) & Raf) & EF ((Erk & Mek) & Raf))
INIT:                 TRUE
INIT_SIZE:            8
ACCEPTING:            !(Erk & (Mek) | !Erk & ((Raf) | !Mek))
ACCEPTING_SIZE:       3
INITACCEPTING:        !(Erk & (Mek) | !Erk & ((Raf) | !Mek))
INITACCEPTING_SIZE:   3
ANSWER:               FALSE

CTLSPEC:              (!(EF ((!Erk & !Mek) & Raf)) & EF ((Erk & Mek) & Raf))
INIT:                 TRUE
INIT_SIZE:            8
ACCEPTING:            Erk & (Mek) | !Erk & (Mek & (Raf))
ACCEPTING_SIZE:       3
INITACCEPTING:        Erk & (Mek) | !Erk & (Mek & (Raf))
INITACCEPTING_SIZE:   3
ANSWER:               FALSE

CTLSPEC:              (EF ((!Erk & !Mek) & Raf) & !(EF ((Erk & Mek) & Raf)))
INIT:                 TRUE
INIT_SIZE:            8
ACCEPTING:            !(Erk | (Mek))
ACCEPTING_SIZE:       2
INITACCEPTING:        !(Erk | (Mek))
INITACCEPTING_SIZE:   2
ANSWER:               FALSE

interactive shell

• Example file: raf_network.smv
• Example ctl_spec: EF(Mek)
• Command for output on the shell: check_ctlspec -p "EF(Mek)" -a
• Generated output:

-- specification EF Mek  is false
-- as demonstrated by the following execution sequence
Trace Description: CTL Counterexample 
Trace Type: Counterexample 
  -> State: 2.1 <-
    Erk = FALSE
    Mek = FALSE
    Raf = FALSE
    STEADYSTATE = FALSE
    SUCCESSORS = 1
    Raf_STEADY = FALSE
    Mek_STEADY = TRUE
    Erk_STEADY = TRUE
    Raf_IMAGE = TRUE
    Mek_IMAGE = FALSE
    Erk_IMAGE = FALSE

initial states: TRUE
number of initial states: 8
accepting states: Erk | (Mek)
number of accepting states: 6
initial and accepting States: Erk | (Mek)
number of initial and accepting states: 6

• Command for output to the file out.txt: check_ctlspec -p "EF(Mek)" -a -o out.txt
• This command generates the same output as check_ctlspec -p "EF(Mek)" -a, but the output is written to the file out.txt

Build from source for Linux

• /NuSMV/mkdir build
• /NuSMV/build/cmake ..
• /NuSMV/build/make