Formally Proving and Enhancing a Self-Stabilising Distributed Algorithm
  This paper presents the benefits of formal modelling and verification techniques for self-stabilising distributed algorithms. An algorithm is studied, that takes a set of processes connected by a tree topology and converts it to a ring configuration. The Coloured Petri net model not only facilitates the proof that the algorithm is correct and self-stabilising but also easily shows that it enjoys new properties of termination and silentness. Further, the formal results show how the algorithm can be simplified without loss of generality. 
Camille Coti and Charles Lakos and Laure Petrucci
cs.DC