Using Petri net theory to analyze software safety case studies

Research is described regarding the use of Petri net theory to analyze selected, well-known software safety case studies. The analysis focused on the n-connectedness characteristics of the Petri nets. Interpretation of the analysis results produced the following conclusions: (1) all of the Petri nets had instances of 1-connectedness at the point depicting where the software failures occurred; and (2) instances of 1-connectedness similar to those described indicate situations where the software should implement some type of exception-handling capability.<
>