Online C-benevolent job scheduling on multiple machines

We consider scheduling a sequence of C-benevolent jobs on multiple homogeneous machines. For two machines, we propose a 2-competitive Cooperative Greedy algorithm and provide a lower bound of 2 for the competitive ratio of any deterministic online scheduling algorithms on two machines. For multiple machines, we propose a Pairing-m Greedy algorithm, which is deterministic 2-competitive for even number of machines and randomized \((2+2/{\hbox {m}})\)-competitive for odd number of machines. We provide a lower bound of 1.436 for the competitive ratio of any deterministic online scheduling algorithms on three machines, which is the best known lower bound for competitive ratios of deterministic scheduling algorithms on three machines.     

On-line scheduling of small open shops

We investigate the problem of on-line scheduling open shops of two and three machines with an objective of minimizing the schedule makespan. We first propose a 1.848-competitive permutation algorithm for the non-preemptive scheduling problem of two machines and show that no permutation algorithm can be better than 1.754-competitive. Secondly, we develop a (27/19)-competitive algorithm for the preemptive scheduling problem of three machines, which is most competitive.     

Makespan minimization for two parallel machines scheduling with a periodic availability constraint: Mathematical programming model,average-case analysis,and anomalies

A mathematical programming model is proposed for the two parallel machines scheduling problem where one machine is periodically unavailable, jobs are non-preemptive, and the objective is minimizing the makespan. The model is established by transforming the two parallel machine setting into a single machine setting. Average-case analyses of the classical Longest Processing Time first (LPT) algorithm and the List Scheduling (LS) are presented. Computational experiments show that the LPT algorithm beats the LS algorithm in all the 96 combinations of two main parameters from an average-case error point of view and that the average-case error of the LPT algorithm is less than 2% when the number of jobs is greater than twenty. Unexpectedly, there also exist instances showing that the LS algorithm may beat the LPT algorithm from the average-case error point of view.     

Optimal on-line flow time with resource augmentation

We study the problem of scheduling n jobs that arrive over time. We consider a non-preemptive setting on a single machine. The goal is to minimize the total flow time. We use extra resource competitive analysis: an optimal off-line algorithm which schedules jobs on a single machine is compared to a more powerful on-line algorithm that has ? machines. We design an algorithm of competitive ratio , where Δ is the maximum ratio between two job sizes, and provide a lower bound which shows that the algorithm is optimal up to a constant factor for any constant ?. The algorithm works for a hard version of the problem where the sizes of the smallest and the largest jobs are not known in advance, only Δ and n are known. This gives a trade-off between the resource augmentation and the competitive ratio.We also consider scheduling on parallel identical machines. In this case the optimal off-line algorithm has m machines and the on-line algorithm has ?m machines. We give a lower bound for this case. Next, we give lower bounds for algorithms using resource augmentation on the speed. Finally, we consider scheduling with hard deadlines, and scheduling so as to minimize the total completion time.     

Scheduling open shops with parallel machines to minimize total completion time

This paper explores scheduling a realistic variant of open shops with parallel machines per working stage. Since real production floors seldom employ a single machine for each operation, the regular open shop problem is very often in practice extended with a set of parallel machines at each stage. The purpose of duplicating machines in parallel is to either eliminate or to reduce the impact of bottleneck stages on the overall shop efficiency. The objective is to find the sequence which minimizes total completion times of jobs. We first formulate the problem as an effective mixed integer linear programming model, and then we employ memetic algorithms to solve the problem. We employ Taguchi method to evaluate the effects of different operators and parameters on the performance of memetic algorithm. To further enhance the memetic algorithm, we hybridize it with a simple form of simulated annealing as its local search engine. To assess the performance of the model and algorithms, we establish two computational experiments. The first one is small-sized instances by which the model and general performance of the algorithms are evaluated. The second one consists of large-sized instances by which we further evaluate the algorithms.     

Online scheduling with machine cost and rejection

In this paper we define and investigate a new scheduling model. In this new model the number of machines is not fixed; the algorithm has to purchase the used machines, moreover the jobs can be rejected. We show that the simple combinations of the algorithms used in the area of scheduling with rejections and the area of scheduling with machine cost are not constant competitive. We present a 2.618-competitive algorithm called OPTCOPY.     

Machine scheduling with resource dependent processing times

We consider machine scheduling on unrelated parallel machines with the objective to minimize the schedule makespan. We assume that, in addition to its machine dependence, the processing time of any job is dependent on the usage of a discrete renewable resource, e.g. workers. A given amount of that resource can be distributed over the jobs in process at any time, and the more of that resource is allocated to a job, the smaller is its processing time. This model generalizes the classical unrelated parallel machine scheduling problem by adding a time-resource tradeoff. It is also a natural variant of a generalized assignment problem studied previously by Shmoys and Tardos. On the basis of an integer linear programming formulation for a relaxation of the problem, we use LP rounding techniques to allocate resources to jobs, and to assign jobs to machines. Combined with Graham’s list scheduling, we show how to derive a 4-approximation algorithm. We also show how to tune our approach to yield a 3.75-approximation algorithm. This is achieved by applying the same rounding technique to a slightly modified linear programming relaxation, and by using a more sophisticated scheduling algorithm that is inspired by the harmonic algorithm for bin packing. We finally derive inapproximability results for two special cases, and discuss tightness of the integer linear programming relaxations.     

P‖Cmin随机算法研究

本文研究了P‖Cmin的随机算法及其最坏情况界，我们给出了Pm‖Cmin在线排序问题新的随机上界，并给出了P2‖Cmin的最好随机算法，其最坏情况界为2／3。对P2‖Cmin已知工件加工时间递减半在线模型，我们给出了一最坏情况界为6／7的随机算法并证明了它为最好的。     

On the on-line maintenance scheduling problem

A machine instantly serves requests but needs to undergo maintenance after serving a maximum of L requests. We want to maximize the number of requests served. In the on-line version, we prove that serving L requests before placing a maintenance is 0.5-competitive and is best possible for deterministic algorithms. We describe a 0.585-competitive randomized algorithm and show an upper bound of \(2L/(3L-1)\). We also analyze the empirical performance of various on-line algorithms on specific arrival distributions.     

A class of on-line scheduling algorithms to minimize total completion time

We consider the problem of scheduling jobs on-line on a single machine and on identical machines with the objective to minimize total completion time. We assume that the jobs arrive over time. We give a general 2-competitive algorithm for the single machine problem. The algorithm is based on delaying the release time of the jobs, i.e., making the jobs artificially later available to the on-line scheduler than the actual release times. Our algorithm includes two known algorithms for this problem that apply delay of release times. The proposed algorithm is interesting since it gives the on-line scheduler a whole range of choices for the delays, each of which leading to 2-competitiveness.We also show that the algorithm is 2α competitive for the problem on identical machines where α is the performance ratio of the Shortest Remaining Processing Time first rule for the preemptive relaxation of the problem.     

考虑成本的最大延迟时间同类机调度问题

假定生产时机器成本是固定的,研究了一类考虑成本的同类机调度问题,调度的目标是在给定加工完所有作业的总预算的成本限制下最小化最大作业延迟时间。为该类问题构建了混合整数规划模型。通过设计相关规则在机器成本预算内来选择加工机器,以及对传统的LPT(最长加工时间优先)、ECT(最早完工时间优先)、EDD(最早工期优先)等算法进行改进,提出了一个启发式算法H,并理论证明了该算法在同型机和同类机下的最坏误差界。通过算例说明了算法的执行情况,同时也考虑了给定总预算不同的多种情形,采用大量随机数据实验验证了算法的有效性。     

A scheduling problem with job values given as a power function of their completion times

This paper deals with a problem of scheduling jobs on the identical parallel machines, where job values are given as a power function of the job completion times. Minimization of the total loss of job values is considered as a criterion. We establish the computational complexity of the problem – strong NP-hardness of its general version and NP-hardness of its single machine case. Moreover, we solve some special cases of the problem in polynomial time. Finally, we construct and experimentally test branch and bound algorithm (along with some elimination properties improving its efficiency) and several heuristic algorithms for the general case of the problem.     

带机器准备时间的平行机在线与半在线排序

本文研究带机器准备时间的m台平行机系统在线和半在线排序问题.对在线排序问题,我们证明了LS算法的最坏情况界为2-1/m.对已知工件加工时间递减,已知总加工时间和已知工件最大加工时间三个半在线模型,我们分析了它们的下界和所给算法的最坏情况界.对其中两台机情形均得到了最好近似算怯。     

Sevast'yanov's algorithm for the flow-shop scheduling problem

We consider the flow-shop scheduling problem. The objective is to schedule the jobs on the machines so that we minimize the time by which all jobs are completed. We studied and implemented different versions of the algorithm of Sevast'yanov based on linear programming to solve this problem. Using CPLEX, we did computational tests with random instances having up to 1000 jobs and 100 machines. If the size of the flow-shop scheduling problem is small or if the running time is not a critical factor, the Nawaz-Enscore-Ham approximation algorithm still performs better. But if the running time is an important factor, Sevast'yanov's algorithm can be a very good alternative especially in presence of very large scale instances with a relatively small number of machines.     

Makespan minimization for parallel machines scheduling with multiple availability constraints

The problem of makespan minimization for parallel machines scheduling with multiple planned nonavailability periods in the case of resumable jobs is considered. In the current state of the literature, there is a limited number of models and algorithms dealing with this problem and only for very small problem size, and nonavailability limited to some machines. The problem is first formulated as a mixed integer linear programming model and optimally solved using CPLEX for small to moderately large size problems with multiple availability constraints on all machines. An implicit enumeration algorithm using the lexicographic order is then designed to solve large-scale problems. Numerical results are obtained for several experiments and they show the validity and performance improvements procured by both the MILP model and the new enumeration algorithm.     

Machine scheduling with an availability constraint

Most literature in scheduling assumes that machines are available simultaneously at all times. However, this availability may not be true in real industry settings. In this paper, we assume that the machine may not always be available. This happens often in the industry due to a machine breakdown (stochastic) or preventive maintenance (deterministic) during the scheduling period. We study the scheduling problem under this general situation and for the deterministic case.We discuss various performance measures and various machine environments. In each case, we either provide a polynomial optimal algorithm to solve the problem, or prove that the problem is NP-hard. In the latter case, we develop pseudo-polynomial dynamic programming models to solve the problem optimally and/or provide heuristics with an error bound analysis.This research was supported in part by NSF grant DDM 9201627     

Online scheduling with general machine cost functions

For most scheduling problems the set of machines is fixed initially and remains unchanged for the duration of the problem. Recently online scheduling problems have been investigated with the modification that initially the algorithm possesses no machines, but that at any point additional machines may be purchased. In all of these models the assumption has been made that each machine has unit cost. In this paper we consider the problem with general machine cost functions. Furthermore we also consider a more general version of the problem where the available machines have speed, the algorithm may purchase machines with speed 1 and machines with speed s. We define and analyze some algorithms for the solution of these problems and their special cases. Moreover we prove some lower bounds on the possible competitive ratios.     

On discrete lot-sizing and scheduling on identical parallel machines

We consider the multi-item discrete lot-sizing and scheduling problem on identical parallel machines. Based on the fact that the machines are identical, we introduce aggregate integer variables instead of individual variables for each machine. For the problem with start-up costs, we show that the inequalities based on a unit flow formulation for each machine can be replaced by a single integer flow formulation without any change in the resulting LP bound. For the resulting integer lot-sizing with start-ups subproblem, we show how inequalities for the unit demand case can be generalized and how an approximate version of the extended formulation of Eppen and Martin can be constructed. The results of some computational experiments carried out to compare the effectiveness of the various mixed-integer programming formulations are presented.     

Competitive Analysis of a Better On-line Algorithm to Minimize Total Completion Time on a Single-machine

We consider the problem of scheduling jobs on-line on a single machine with the objective of minimizing total completion time. We assume that jobs arrive over time and that release dates are known in advance, but not the processing times. The most important result we are given in this paper is the competitive analysis of a new clairvoyant on-line algorithm for this scheduling problem. We are proving that this deterministic semi-online algorithm, called ST-, is -competitive, which beats the existing lower bound for non-clairvoyant online algorithms.     

P|rj,on-line|∑Cj的一类在线算法与竞争比分析

本文研究平等机上的在线排序问题,优化目标是使总完工时间最小,算法SSPT是此问题的一类在线算法,论文引入一个拟时间表,此时间表具有SRPT时间表的部分性质,论文通过此辅助时间表证明了SSPT算法是(3-(1/m))-competitive的.