Finite-state self-stabilizing protocols in message-passing systems

We define a finite state message passing model using guarded commands. This model is particularly appropriate for defining and reasoning about self stabilizing protocols, due to the well known result that self stabilizing protocols on unbounded-channel models must have infinitely many legitimate states. We argue that our model is more realistic than other models, and demonstrate its use with a simple example. We conclude by discussing how self stabilizing protocols defined on this model might be implemented directly on actual networks.