NetKAT: A Formal System for the Verification of Networks

NetKAT is a relatively new programming language and logic for reasoning about packet switching networks that fits well with the popular software defined networking (SDN) paradigm. NetKAT was introduced quite recently by Anderson et al. (POPL 2014) and further developed by Foster et al. (POPL 2015). The system provides general-purpose programming constructs such as parallel and sequential composition, conditional tests, and iteration, as well as special-purpose primitives for querying and modifying packet headers and encoding network topologies. The language allows the desired behavior of a network to be specified equationally. It has a formal mathematical semantics and a deductive system that is sound and complete over that semantics, as well as an efficient decision procedure for the automatic verification of equationally-defined properties of networks.