Interface Automata for Shared Memory

Interface theories based on Interface Automata (IA) are formalisms for the component-based specification of concurrent systems. Extensions of their basic synchronization mechanism permit the modelling of data, but are studied in more complex settings involving modal transition systems or do not abstract from internal computation. In this article, we show how de Alfaro and Henzinger’s original IA theory can be conservatively extended by shared memory data, without sacrificing simplicity or imposing restrictions. Our extension IA for shared Memory (IAM) decorates transitions with pre- and post-conditions over algebraic expressions on shared variables, which are taken into account by IA’s notion of component compatibility. Simplicity is preserved as IAM can be embedded into IA and, thus, accurately lifts IA’s compatibility concept to shared memory. We also provide a ground semantics for IAM that demonstrates that our abstract handling of data within IA’s open systems view is faithful to the standard treatment of data in closed systems.