Translating BPEL Process to Open Workflow Nets GNU BPEL2oWFN Version 2.0.3, 29 June 2007

Version History

Version 2.0.3 (29 June 2007)

miscellaneous:

• adopted the GNU GPL Version 3
• minor changes and bug fixes

Version 2.0.2 (15 June 2007)

new features:

• BPEL4Chor choreographies can be translated (further information to come)
• WSDL files can be parsed to support the translation of a BPEL process
• abstract BPEL processes (both BPEL4WS 1.1 and WS-BPEL 2.0) are now parsed

miscellaneous:

• when parsing multiple BPEL processes, wildcards like *.bpel can be used

Version 2.0.1 (11 May 2007)

fixed bugs:

• <if>/<switch> pattern did not work with parameter "communicationonly"
• <flow> activities in repeated constructs (<while>, <repeatUntil>, ...) could result in unbounded nets
• parameter "xor" could crash

miscellaneous:

• new parameter "nointerface" allows to create dot output of the generated Petri net model without drawing the interface
• transitions of the Petri net model are labeled and colored according to their role (only for dot mode)
• Petri net reduction rules can be chosen using the "reduce" option
• improved performance of composition of nets in the "consistency" mode

Version 2.0.0 (20 April 2007)

input:

• executable BPEL4WS 1.1 processes
• executable WS-BPEL 2.0 processes
• abstract BPEL4WS 1.1 processes (experimental)
• abstract WS-BPEL 2.0 processes (experimental)

output:

• Petri net file formats:
  • APNN
  • INA (untimed, low-level)
  • LoLA (low-level)
  • Fiona oWFN
  • PEP notation (low-level)
  • PNML (with extension to model interfaces)
  • SPIN (Promela)
• other file formats:
  • Graphviz dot
  • XML

implemented patterns:

• overworked feature-complete Petri net semantics for BPEL4WS 1.1 and WS-BPEL 2.0
• overworked simplified Petri net semantics to model the communicational behavior only
• several versions of each pattern controlled by command-line parameters

static analysis

• 44 of 94 static analysis goals of the WS-BPEL specification are checked
• read access to uninitialized variables can be detected using the CFG (control flow graph)
• conflicting receiving activities can be detected using the CFG

miscellaneous:

• completely overworked architecture
• all Petri net-related functions are packaged to a Petri net API (application programming interface) to be published independently of BPEL2oWFN soon
• statistics of the input process are displayed after implicit transformation rules are applied
• messages are classified (error, warning, etc.) and numbered to allow for a detailed description in the manual

Version 1.2 (6 April 2006)

overworked patterns:

• more parameterized versions of the Stahl-semantics (see version 1.1):
  • acyclic models (also acyclic event handlers)
  • models without variables
  • models without standard faults occurring while handling a fault

static analysis:

• A control flow graph can be built and used to detect the use of uninitialized variables.

miscellaneous:

• The command-line parameter `-p finishloop' is renamed to `-p finalloop'.
• Structural reduction rules remove all structural dead nodes of the generated Petri net model.

fixed bugs:

• Pattern of asynchronous <invoke> activity does no longer receive messages.
• Structural reduction rules no longer change the semantics of the <switch> activity.
• Structural reduction rules no longer remove the loop transition for deadlock search.

Version 1.1 (24 February 2006)

new output formats:

• APNN (Abstract Petri Net Notation) Petri net
• PNML (Petri Net Markup Language) Petri net
• low-level PEP (Programming Environment based on Petri Nets) Petri net

overworked patterns:

• the Stahl-semantics (see version 1.0) has been enhanced and can be parametrized:
  
  • original semantics
  • models without BPEL's standard faults
  • acyclic models
    

static analysis:

• To reduce the size of the Petri net model static analysis is used to only generate nodes for the DPE (dead path elimination) when necessary.

miscellaneous:

• The compiler generator tools Flex, Bison and Kimwitu++ are not any more necessary to compile BPEL2oWFN: the generated sources are now part of the distribution.
• The oWFN format was overworked and allows final markings.
• GNU getopt allows more flexible command-line parameter processing allowing to create several output file formats in a single run.
• Debug output can be written into a log file.
• The classes organizing the Petri nets are overworked for performance and extensibility.

fixed bugs:

• The generation of all possible types of the <invoke> activity (synchronous, asynchronous, with and without implicit scope) is overworked.

Version 1.0 (16 January 2006)

input:

• BPEL process compliant to the specificiation BPEL4WS version 1.1, May 2003.

output:

• LoLA Petri net
• open workflow net
• Dot representation

implemented patterns:

• Christian Stahl. A Petri Net Semantics for BPEL. Informatik-Berichte 188, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, July 2005. [PDF]

last changes: 29.06.2007