'<h2 class=papertitle>A tool for testing liveness in distributed object systems</h2> <p class=paperauthor>Paul Sivilotti and Charlie Giles, <span class=institution>Ohio State University, USA</span> <p class=paperabstract> This paper describes cidl, a tool that helps developers test liveness properties in distributed systems.  Whereas sequential systems can be tested by examining initial states and final outcomes, distributed systems frequently exhibit reactive behavior that occurs over time.  Liveness properties capture such behavior.  Testing liveness, however, presents a significant challenge because its violation can never be detected during a finite execution.  We present a testing technology for distributed systems built using CORBA.  We define an extension to CORBA IDL for specifying a fundamental liveness property: Transient.  The cidl tool uses this extension to generate a testing harness for tracking liveness.  We describe how to use cidl for testing and debugging and give a preliminary experience report.'