Parameterized Memory Models and Concurrent Separation Logic

Formal reasoning about concurrent programs is usually done with the assumption that the underlying memory model is sequentially consistent, i.e. the execution outcome is equivalent to an interleaving of instructions according to the program order. However, memory models in reality are weaker in order to accommodate compiler and hardware optimizations. To simplify the reasoning, many memory models provide a guarantee that data-race-free programs behave in a sequentially consistent manner, the so-called DRFguarantee. The DRF-guarantee removes the burden of reasoning about relaxations when the program is well-synchronized. In this paper, we formalize relaxed memory models by giving a parameterized operational semantics to a concurrent programming language. Behaviors of a program under a relaxed memory model are defined as behaviors of a set of related programs under the sequentially consistent model. This semantics is parameterized in the sense that different memory models can be obtaine...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: ESOP
• Authors: Rodrigo Ferreira, Xinyu Feng and Zhong Shao
• Keywords: ESOP 2010, Operational Grainless Semantics, Parameterized Operational Semantics, Programming Languages, Relaxed Memory Models