MCC: a Tool for Unfolding Colored Petri Nets in PNML Format

Abstract

MCC is a tool designed for a very specific task: to transform the models of High-Level Petri nets, given in the PNML syntax, into equivalent Place/Transition nets. The name of the tool derives from the annual Model-Checking Contest, a competition of model-checking tools that provides a large and diverse collection of PNML models. This choice in naming serves to underline the main focus of the tool, which is to provide an open and efficient solution that lowers the access cost for developers wanting to engage in this competition. We describe the architecture and functionalities of our tool and show how it compares with other existing solutions. Despite the fact that the problem we target is abundantly covered in the literature, we show that it is still possible to innovate. To substantiate this assertion, we put a particular emphasis on two distinctive features of MCC that have proved useful when dealing with some of the most challenging colored models in the contest, namely the use of a restricted notion of higher-order invariant, and the support of a Petri net scripting language.