Towards an ASM-based Characterization of the Deadlock-freedom Property

The present paper investigates the effectiveness of the Abstract State Machine (ASM) formalism into studying the deadlock-freedom property in distributed systems. To this end, the well-known Dining Philosophers problem, prone to deadlock, is here modeled through ASMs and deadlock is studied. The experience suggests a provisional reformulation of the classic necessary conditions for deadlock in terms of ASMs