Verifying linearizability: A comparative survey

Abstract

Linearizability has become the key correctness criterion for concurrent data structures, ensuring that histories of the concurrent object under consideration are consistent, where consistency is judged with respect to a sequential history of a corresponding abstract data structure. Linearizability allows any order of concurrent (i.e., overlapping) calls to operations to be picked, but requires the real-time order of non-overlapping to be preserved. Over the years numerous techniques for verifying linearizability have been developed, using a variety of formal foundations such as refinement, shape analysis, reduction, etc. However, as the underlying framework, nomenclature and terminology for each method differs, it has become difficult for practitioners to judge the differences between each approach, and hence, judge the methodology most appropriate for the data structure at hand. We compare the major of methods used to verify linearizability, describe the main contribution of each method, and compare their advantages and limitations.