Java-MaC: a Run-time Assurance Tool for Java Programs

Abstract

We describe Java-MaC, a prototype implementation of the Monitoring and Checking (MaC) architecture for Java programs. The MaC architecture provides assurance about the correct execution of target programs at run-time. Monitoring and checking is performed based on a formal specication of system requirements. MaC bridges the gap between formal verication, which ensures the correctness of a design rather than an implementation, and testing, which only partially validates an implementation. Java-MaC provides a lightweight formal method solution as a viable complement to the current heavyweight formal methods. An important aspect of the architecture is the clear separation between monitoring implementation-dependent low-level behaviors and checking high-level behaviors against a formal requirements specication. Another salient feature is automatic instrumentation of executable codes. The paper presents an overview of the MaC architecture and a prototype implementation Java-MaC.