Testing of finite state systems

Abstract

Finite state machines have been used to model a wide variety of systems, including sequential circuits, and more recently, communication protocols. In testing problems we are given a system M, which we may test by providing inputs and observing the outputs produced. The goal is to design test sequences so that we can deduce desired information, such as the state of M, or whether M implements correctly a given specification machine S. In this paper we will discuss algorithmic work on basic testing problems for systems modeled by different types of finite state machines.