From Protocol Specification to Statechart to Implementation

Abstract This paper describes two major steps in model-based system design and implementation: 1) the process involved in converting a text-based system specification into a UML-compliant, graphical statechart, and 2) the use of automatic code generation tools to convert the statechart into a C or C++ implementation. We also describe how to use the graphical, interactive “test harness” to test the behavior of the statechart’s generated code, a very useful tool for system (protocol) design refinement. Finally, we describe how to automatically generate a Promela version of the statechart model that can be verified using the SPIN model checker. Throughout the paper, we focus on how these tools can be used to make the communications protocol development process more streamlined and reliable. 1 Purpose and Intended Audience