Modeling and analysis of Reo connectors using Alloy

Reo is an exogenous coordination language based on a calculus of channel composition. Different formal models have been developed for this language. In this paper, we present a new approach to modeling and analysis of Reo connectors using Alloy which is a lightweight modeling language based on first-order relational logic. We provide a reusable library of Reo channels in Alloy that can be used to create a model of a Reo connector in Alloy. The model is simple and reflects the original structure of the connector. Furthermore, the model of a connector can be reused as a component for constructing more complex connectors. Using the Alloy Analyzer tool, properties expressed as predicates can be verified by automatically analyzing the execution traces of the Reo connector. We handle the context-sensitive behavior of channels as well as optional constraints on the interactions with environment. Our compositional model can be used as an alternative to other existing approaches, and is supported by a well known tool with a rich set of features such as counterexample generation.