Formal verification of RACE protocol using SSM

Cache coherence protocols are important for operating a shared-memory multiprocessor system with efficiency and correctness. Cache coherence protocols have become increasingly complex because physical memory is logically distributed, so that it is difficult for programmers to understand the view of logical shared-memory systems. Since random testing and simulations are not enough to validate the correctness of these protocols, it is necessary to develop efficient and reliable verification methods. Through the use of the Symbolic State Model (SSM) of Fong Pong (1995), we verified a directory-based protocol called the RACE (Remote-Access Cache coherence Enforcement) protocol. The protocol is verified for any system size, without state-space explosion.