Book excerpt: For more than a decade, researchers and engineers have been addressing the problem of the application of formal description techniques to protocol specification, implementation, testing and verification. This book identifies the many successes that have been achieved within the industrial framework and the difficulties encountered in applying theoretical methods to practical situations. Issues discussed include: testing and certification; verification; validation; environments and automated tools; formal specifications; protocol conversion; implementation; specification languages and models. Consideration is also given to the concerns surrounding education available to students and the need to upgrade and develop this through sponsorship of a study of an appropriate curriculum at both undergraduate and graduate levels. It is hoped this publication will stimulate such support and inspire further research in this important arena.