High-Level Petri-Net Model for a Resource-Sharing Problem

摘要

This reprint deals with the modeling and analysis of a typical resource-sharingproblem using a high-level Petri net. This model is at a level higher than any of the existing related class of Petri nets. With the introduction of structured places and generalized functional expressions as arc labels, our net is expected to be useful in modeling real-life problems in operating systems. Our analysis leads to a new solution of the classical banker's algorithm. Petri nets are useful tools for the modeling and analysis of asynchronous concurrent processes, and they have been widely used to model various problems in operating systems, concurrent programming, distributed architecture, distributed databases, digital hardware, and real-time systems. A common problem with classical net models is that, for real-life problem modeling, the size of the net becomes unmanageably large. High-level net models in the form of colored nets and predicate transition nets provide a solution to this problem, but the added complexities in the semantics of such nets make quantitative analysis more challenging. It is being increasingly felt that despite the added complexities, such high-level nets are probably the only meaningful model for practical problem understanding, and analytical tool development for such models needs urgent attention. (kr)