A Distributed Pi-Calculus

by Matthew Hennessy

Overview

Distributed systems are fast becoming the norm in computer science. Formal mathematical models and theories of distributed behavior are needed in order to understand them. This book proposes a distributed pi-calculus called Dpi, for describing the behavior of mobile agents in a distributed world. It is based on an existing formal language, the pi-calculus, to which it adds a network layer and a primitive migration construct. A mathematical theory of the behavior of these distributed systems is developed, in which the presence of types plays a major role. It is also shown how in principle this theory can be used to develop verification techniques for guaranteeing the behavior of distributed agents. The text is accessible to computer scientists with a minimal background in discrete mathematics. It contains an elementary account of the pi-calculus, and the associated theory of bisimulations. It also develops the type theory required by Dpi from first principles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521873307
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/08/2007
Pages:	278
Product dimensions:	6.93(w) x 9.92(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Matthew Hennessy is a Professor of Computer Science at the Department of Informatics, University of Sussex. This is his 3rd book.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction; 2. Inductive principles; 3. The asynchronous Pi-Calculus; 4. Types for API; 5. Types and behaviour in API; 6. A distributed asynchronous Pi-Calculus; Behavioural Equivalences for ADPI; Sources; List of figures; Notation.