Adding the leads-to operator to Dijkstra's calculus

Abstract

A temporal operator, namely leads-to, has been incorporated into the Dijkstra's weakest precondition calculus. It is demonstrated that the augmented calculus provides a basis, not only for the modeling but also, for a straightforward and thorough analysis of large and complex distributed systems. The technique has been illustrated by describing a data link layer protocol. This analysis contributes to the understanding of the system.