Astrée (static analysis)
Encyclopedia
Astrée is a static analyzer
based on abstract interpretation
. It analyzes programs written in a subset of the C programming language
and outputs an exhaustive list of possible runtime errors and assertion violations.
The tool is taylored towards safety-critical embedded code: source programs are assumed not to contain dynamic allocation (malloc); specific analysis techniques are used for common control theory
constructs (filters, rate limiters...) and floating-point numbers.
Astrée was developed in Pr Patrick Cousot
's group at École Normale Supérieure
, a joint group with CNRS, and is marketed by Absint GmbH. Airbus
avionics and simulation products is one of the main industrial users.
Static analysis
Static analysis, static projection, and static scoring are terms for simplified analysis wherein the effect of an immediate change to a system is calculated without respect to the longer term response of the system to that change...
based on abstract interpretation
Abstract interpretation
In computer science, abstract interpretation is a theory of sound approximation of the semantics of computer programs, based on monotonic functions over ordered sets, especially lattices. It can be viewed as a partial execution of a computer program which gains information about its semantics In...
. It analyzes programs written in a subset of the C programming language
C (programming language)
C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 by Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the Unix operating system....
and outputs an exhaustive list of possible runtime errors and assertion violations.
The tool is taylored towards safety-critical embedded code: source programs are assumed not to contain dynamic allocation (malloc); specific analysis techniques are used for common control theory
Control theory
Control theory is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering and mathematics that deals with the behavior of dynamical systems. The desired output of a system is called the reference...
constructs (filters, rate limiters...) and floating-point numbers.
Astrée was developed in Pr Patrick Cousot
Patrick Cousot
Patrick Cousot is a French computer scientist.Together with his wife Radhia, Cousot is the originator of abstract interpretation, an influential technique in formal methods. In the 2000s, he has worked on practical methods of static analysis for critical embedded software, such as found in avionics...
's group at École Normale Supérieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
, a joint group with CNRS, and is marketed by Absint GmbH. Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
avionics and simulation products is one of the main industrial users.