Rapid prototyping of communications protocols using a new parallel language

A description is given of the L.0 language, a parallel, high-level executable specification language created for the design and implementation of software systems with inherent concurrency, such as communications protocols, services and networks. L.0 was explicitly designed to express coordination, simultaneity, and the hierarchical composition of systems from component subsystems. L.0 has been used to prototype communications protocols and services and to study network architectures and switching systems. The application of L.0 to the prototyping of a large portion of an experimental data communication services network architecture is discussed.<>