This collection of research papers describes state-of-the-art research and findings on Petri nets, and other similar modeling mechanisms. The intended audience for the work could be mathematicians, computer scientists, researchers in any industrial area involving distributed system design, business analysts, academic researchers, students, or anyone deeply interested in distributed systems modeling mechanisms. The book focuses not just on Petri nets, but also on other modeling mechanisms for concurrent and distributed systems. One example is a paper on timed automata, used for the modeling and verification of real-time systems. The coverage of multiple modeling schemes gives readers the ability to compare Petri nets with other available modeling techniques.

The book provides rigorous coverage of the mathematical aspects of modeling, and covers a wide range of topics. It will serve very well as a reference book rather than a textbook. There are a large number of applications that can be modeled using Petri nets. Hence, a wide variety of applications are covered in the book. Examples of applications covered include business process management and scenario-based programming. Dependability analysis using Petri nets is also covered. The power of Petri net modeling is illustrated with the aid of process algebra and network protocol verification. Transmission control protocol (TCP) is used as a case study, which will be of interest to protocol designers seeking to use a similar approach in modeling. This is just an example of the types of topics that are covered in the book. The book delves into the applications of Petri nets in areas such as software engineering, operating systems, business problems, and manufacturing systems. All of these applications are explained with a great deal of technical rigor for an interested mind to absorb. The book is highly recommended as a reference text for research in the area of concurrent design and Petri nets.