Documentation/trace/rv/runtime-verification.rst - linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux - Git at Google

 ====================
 Runtime Verification
 ====================

 Runtime Verification (RV) is a lightweight (yet rigorous) method that
 complements classical exhaustive verification techniques (such as *model
 checking* and *theorem proving*) with a more practical approach for complex
 systems.

 Instead of relying on a fine-grained model of a system (e.g., a
 re-implementation a instruction level), RV works by analyzing the trace of the
 system's actual execution, comparing it against a formal specification of
 the system behavior.

 The main advantage is that RV can give precise information on the runtime
 behavior of the monitored system, without the pitfalls of developing models
 that require a re-implementation of the entire system in a modeling language.
 Moreover, given an efficient monitoring method, it is possible execute an
 *online* verification of a system, enabling the *reaction* for unexpected
 events, avoiding, for example, the propagation of a failure on safety-critical
 systems.

 Runtime Monitors and Reactors
 =============================

 A monitor is the central part of the runtime verification of a system. The
 monitor stands in between the formal specification of the desired (or
 undesired) behavior, and the trace of the actual system.

 In Linux terms, the runtime verification monitors are encapsulated inside the
 *RV monitor* abstraction. A *RV monitor* includes a reference model of the
 system, a set of instances of the monitor (per-cpu monitor, per-task monitor,
 and so on), and the helper functions that glue the monitor to the system via
 trace, as depicted bellow::

  Linux   +---- RV Monitor ----------------------------------+ Formal
   Realm  |                                                  |  Realm
   +-------------------+     +----------------+     +-----------------+
   |   Linux kernel    |     |     Monitor    |     |     Reference   |
   |     Tracing       |  -> |   Instance(s)  | <-  |       Model     |
   | (instrumentation) |     | (verification) |     | (specification) |
   +-------------------+     +----------------+     +-----------------+
          |                          |                       |
          |                          V                       |
          |                     +----------+                 |
          |                     | Reaction |                 |
          |                     +--+--+--+-+                 |
          |                        |  |  |                   |
          |                        |  |  +-> trace output ?  |
          +------------------------|--|----------------------+
                                   |  +----> panic ?
                                   +-------> <user-specified>

 In addition to the verification and monitoring of the system, a monitor can
 react to an unexpected event. The forms of reaction can vary from logging the
 event occurrence to the enforcement of the correct behavior to the extreme
 action of taking a system down to avoid the propagation of a failure.

 In Linux terms, a *reactor* is an reaction method available for *RV monitors*.
 By default, all monitors should provide a trace output of their actions,
 which is already a reaction. In addition, other reactions will be available
 so the user can enable them as needed.

 For further information about the principles of runtime verification and
 RV applied to Linux:

   Bartocci, Ezio, et al. *Introduction to runtime verification.* In: Lectures on
   Runtime Verification. Springer, Cham, 2018. p. 1-33.

   Falcone, Ylies, et al. *A taxonomy for classifying runtime verification tools.*
   In: International Conference on Runtime Verification. Springer, Cham, 2018. p.
   241-262.

   De Oliveira, Daniel Bristot. *Automata-based formal analysis and
   verification of the real-time Linux kernel.* Ph.D. Thesis, 2020.

 Online RV monitors
 ==================

 Monitors can be classified as *offline* and *online* monitors. *Offline*
 monitor process the traces generated by a system after the events, generally by
 reading the trace execution from a permanent storage system. *Online* monitors
 process the trace during the execution of the system. Online monitors are said
 to be *synchronous* if the processing of an event is attached to the system
 execution, blocking the system during the event monitoring. On the other hand,
 an *asynchronous* monitor has its execution detached from the system. Each type
 of monitor has a set of advantages. For example, *offline* monitors can be
 executed on different machines but require operations to save the log to a
 file. In contrast, *synchronous online* method can react at the exact moment
 a violation occurs.

 Another important aspect regarding monitors is the overhead associated with the
 event analysis. If the system generates events at a frequency higher than the
 monitor's ability to process them in the same system, only the *offline*
 methods are viable. On the other hand, if the tracing of the events incurs
 on higher overhead than the simple handling of an event by a monitor, then a
 *synchronous online* monitors will incur on lower overhead.

 Indeed, the research presented in:

   De Oliveira, Daniel Bristot; Cucinotta, Tommaso; De Oliveira, Romulo Silva.
   *Efficient formal verification for the Linux kernel.* In: International
   Conference on Software Engineering and Formal Methods. Springer, Cham, 2019.
   p. 315-332.

 Shows that for Deterministic Automata models, the synchronous processing of
 events in-kernel causes lower overhead than saving the same events to the trace
 buffer, not even considering collecting the trace for user-space analysis.
 This motivated the development of an in-kernel interface for online monitors.

 For further information about modeling of Linux kernel behavior using automata,
 see:

   De Oliveira, Daniel B.; De Oliveira, Romulo S.; Cucinotta, Tommaso. *A thread
   synchronization model for the PREEMPT_RT Linux kernel.* Journal of Systems
   Architecture, 2020, 107: 101729.

 The user interface
 ==================

 The user interface resembles the tracing interface (on purpose). It is
 currently at "/sys/kernel/tracing/rv/".

 The following files/folders are currently available:

 **available_monitors**

 - Reading list the available monitors, one per line

 For example::

    # cat available_monitors
    wip
    wwnr

 **available_reactors**

 - Reading shows the available reactors, one per line.

 For example::

    # cat available_reactors
    nop
    panic
    printk

 **enabled_monitors**:

 - Reading lists the enabled monitors, one per line
 - Writing to it enables a given monitor
 - Writing a monitor name with a '!' prefix disables it
 - Truncating the file disables all enabled monitors

 For example::

    # cat enabled_monitors
    # echo wip > enabled_monitors
    # echo wwnr >> enabled_monitors
    # cat enabled_monitors
    wip
    wwnr
    # echo '!wip' >> enabled_monitors
    # cat enabled_monitors
    wwnr
    # echo > enabled_monitors
    # cat enabled_monitors
    #

 Note that it is possible to enable more than one monitor concurrently.

 **monitoring_on**

 This is an on/off general switcher for monitoring. It resembles the
 "tracing_on" switcher in the trace interface.

 - Writing "0" stops the monitoring
 - Writing "1" continues the monitoring
 - Reading returns the current status of the monitoring

 Note that it does not disable enabled monitors but stop the per-entity
 monitors monitoring the events received from the system.

 **reacting_on**

 - Writing "0" prevents reactions for happening
 - Writing "1" enable reactions
 - Reading returns the current status of the reaction

 **monitors/**

 Each monitor will have its own directory inside "monitors/". There the
 monitor-specific files will be presented. The "monitors/" directory resembles
 the "events" directory on tracefs.

 For example::

    # cd monitors/wip/
    # ls
    desc  enable
    # cat desc
    wakeup in preemptive per-cpu testing monitor.
    # cat enable
    0

 **monitors/MONITOR/desc**

 - Reading shows a description of the monitor *MONITOR*

 **monitors/MONITOR/enable**

 - Writing "0" disables the *MONITOR*
 - Writing "1" enables the *MONITOR*
 - Reading return the current status of the *MONITOR*

 **monitors/MONITOR/reactors**

 - List available reactors, with the select reaction for the given *MONITOR*
   inside "[]". The default one is the nop (no operation) reactor.
 - Writing the name of a reactor enables it to the given MONITOR.

 For example::

    # cat monitors/wip/reactors
    [nop]
    panic
    printk
    # echo panic > monitors/wip/reactors
    # cat monitors/wip/reactors
    nop
    [panic]
    printk
	====================
	Runtime Verification
	====================

	Runtime Verification (RV) is a lightweight (yet rigorous) method that
	complements classical exhaustive verification techniques (such as *model
	checking* and theorem proving) with a more practical approach for complex
	systems.

	Instead of relying on a fine-grained model of a system (e.g., a
	re-implementation a instruction level), RV works by analyzing the trace of the
	system's actual execution, comparing it against a formal specification of
	the system behavior.

	The main advantage is that RV can give precise information on the runtime
	behavior of the monitored system, without the pitfalls of developing models
	that require a re-implementation of the entire system in a modeling language.
	Moreover, given an efficient monitoring method, it is possible execute an
	online verification of a system, enabling the reaction for unexpected
	events, avoiding, for example, the propagation of a failure on safety-critical
	systems.

	Runtime Monitors and Reactors
	=============================

	A monitor is the central part of the runtime verification of a system. The
	monitor stands in between the formal specification of the desired (or
	undesired) behavior, and the trace of the actual system.

	In Linux terms, the runtime verification monitors are encapsulated inside the
	RV monitor abstraction. A RV monitor includes a reference model of the
	system, a set of instances of the monitor (per-cpu monitor, per-task monitor,
	and so on), and the helper functions that glue the monitor to the system via
	trace, as depicted bellow::

	Linux +---- RV Monitor ----------------------------------+ Formal
	Realm \| \| Realm
	+-------------------+ +----------------+ +-----------------+
	\| Linux kernel \| \| Monitor \| \| Reference \|
	\| Tracing \| -> \| Instance(s) \| <- \| Model \|
	\| (instrumentation) \| \| (verification) \| \| (specification) \|
	+-------------------+ +----------------+ +-----------------+
	\| \| \|
	\| V \|
	\| +----------+ \|
	\| \| Reaction \| \|
	\| +--+--+--+-+ \|
	\| \| \| \| \|
	\| \| \| +-> trace output ? \|
	+------------------------\|--\|----------------------+
	\| +----> panic ?
	+-------> <user-specified>

	In addition to the verification and monitoring of the system, a monitor can
	react to an unexpected event. The forms of reaction can vary from logging the
	event occurrence to the enforcement of the correct behavior to the extreme
	action of taking a system down to avoid the propagation of a failure.

	In Linux terms, a reactor is an reaction method available for RV monitors.
	By default, all monitors should provide a trace output of their actions,
	which is already a reaction. In addition, other reactions will be available
	so the user can enable them as needed.

	For further information about the principles of runtime verification and
	RV applied to Linux:

	Bartocci, Ezio, et al. Introduction to runtime verification. In: Lectures on
	Runtime Verification. Springer, Cham, 2018. p. 1-33.

	Falcone, Ylies, et al. A taxonomy for classifying runtime verification tools.
	In: International Conference on Runtime Verification. Springer, Cham, 2018. p.
	241-262.

	De Oliveira, Daniel Bristot. *Automata-based formal analysis and
	verification of the real-time Linux kernel.* Ph.D. Thesis, 2020.

	Online RV monitors
	==================

	Monitors can be classified as offline and online monitors. Offline
	monitor process the traces generated by a system after the events, generally by
	reading the trace execution from a permanent storage system. Online monitors
	process the trace during the execution of the system. Online monitors are said
	to be synchronous if the processing of an event is attached to the system
	execution, blocking the system during the event monitoring. On the other hand,
	an asynchronous monitor has its execution detached from the system. Each type
	of monitor has a set of advantages. For example, offline monitors can be
	executed on different machines but require operations to save the log to a
	file. In contrast, synchronous online method can react at the exact moment
	a violation occurs.

	Another important aspect regarding monitors is the overhead associated with the
	event analysis. If the system generates events at a frequency higher than the
	monitor's ability to process them in the same system, only the offline
	methods are viable. On the other hand, if the tracing of the events incurs
	on higher overhead than the simple handling of an event by a monitor, then a
	synchronous online monitors will incur on lower overhead.

	Indeed, the research presented in:

	De Oliveira, Daniel Bristot; Cucinotta, Tommaso; De Oliveira, Romulo Silva.
	Efficient formal verification for the Linux kernel. In: International
	Conference on Software Engineering and Formal Methods. Springer, Cham, 2019.
	p. 315-332.

	Shows that for Deterministic Automata models, the synchronous processing of
	events in-kernel causes lower overhead than saving the same events to the trace
	buffer, not even considering collecting the trace for user-space analysis.
	This motivated the development of an in-kernel interface for online monitors.

	For further information about modeling of Linux kernel behavior using automata,
	see:

	De Oliveira, Daniel B.; De Oliveira, Romulo S.; Cucinotta, Tommaso. *A thread
	synchronization model for the PREEMPT_RT Linux kernel.* Journal of Systems
	Architecture, 2020, 107: 101729.

	The user interface
	==================

	The user interface resembles the tracing interface (on purpose). It is
	currently at "/sys/kernel/tracing/rv/".

	The following files/folders are currently available:

	available_monitors

	- Reading list the available monitors, one per line

	For example::

	# cat available_monitors
	wip
	wwnr

	available_reactors

	- Reading shows the available reactors, one per line.

	For example::

	# cat available_reactors
	nop
	panic
	printk

	enabled_monitors:

	- Reading lists the enabled monitors, one per line
	- Writing to it enables a given monitor
	- Writing a monitor name with a '!' prefix disables it
	- Truncating the file disables all enabled monitors

	For example::

	# cat enabled_monitors
	# echo wip > enabled_monitors
	# echo wwnr >> enabled_monitors
	# cat enabled_monitors
	wip
	wwnr
	# echo '!wip' >> enabled_monitors
	# cat enabled_monitors
	wwnr
	# echo > enabled_monitors
	# cat enabled_monitors
	#

	Note that it is possible to enable more than one monitor concurrently.

	monitoring_on

	This is an on/off general switcher for monitoring. It resembles the
	"tracing_on" switcher in the trace interface.

	- Writing "0" stops the monitoring
	- Writing "1" continues the monitoring
	- Reading returns the current status of the monitoring

	Note that it does not disable enabled monitors but stop the per-entity
	monitors monitoring the events received from the system.

	reacting_on

	- Writing "0" prevents reactions for happening
	- Writing "1" enable reactions
	- Reading returns the current status of the reaction

	monitors/

	Each monitor will have its own directory inside "monitors/". There the
	monitor-specific files will be presented. The "monitors/" directory resembles
	the "events" directory on tracefs.

	For example::

	# cd monitors/wip/
	# ls
	desc enable
	# cat desc
	wakeup in preemptive per-cpu testing monitor.
	# cat enable
	0

	monitors/MONITOR/desc

	- Reading shows a description of the monitor MONITOR

	monitors/MONITOR/enable

	- Writing "0" disables the MONITOR
	- Writing "1" enables the MONITOR
	- Reading return the current status of the MONITOR

	monitors/MONITOR/reactors

	- List available reactors, with the select reaction for the given MONITOR
	inside "[]". The default one is the nop (no operation) reactor.
	- Writing the name of a reactor enables it to the given MONITOR.

	For example::

	# cat monitors/wip/reactors
	[nop]
	panic
	printk
	# echo panic > monitors/wip/reactors
	# cat monitors/wip/reactors
	nop
	[panic]
	printk