Equilibrium customers’ choice between FCFS and random servers

Consider two servers of equal service capacity, one serving in a first-come first-served order (FCFS), and the other serving its queue in random order. Customers arrive as a Poisson process and each arriving customer observes the length of the two queues and then chooses to join the queue that minimizes its expected queueing time. Assuming exponentially distributed service times, we numerically compute a Nash equilibrium in this system, and investigate the question of which server attracts the greater share of customers. If customers who arrive to find both queues empty independently choose to join each queue with probability 0.5, then we show that the server with FCFS discipline obtains a slightly greater share of the market. However, if such customers always join the same queue (say of the server with FCFS discipline) then that server attracts the greater share of customers. This research was supported by the Israel Science Foundation grant No. 526/08.     

The Discrete-Time GI/Geo/1 Queue with Multiple Vacations

We study a discrete-time GI/Geo/1 queue with server vacations. In this queueing system, the server takes vacations when the system does not have any waiting customers at a service completion instant or a vacation completion instant. This type of discrete-time queueing model has potential applications in computer or telecommunication network systems. Using matrix-geometric method, we obtain the explicit expressions for the stationary distributions of queue length and waiting time and demonstrate the conditional stochastic decomposition property of the queue length and waiting time in this system.     

On non-equilibria threshold strategies in ticket queues

In many real-life queueing systems, a customer may balk upon arrival at a queueing system, but other customers become aware of it only at the time the balking customer was to start service. Naturally, the balking is an outcome of the queue length, and the decision is based on a threshold. Yet the inspected queue length contains customers who balked. In this work, we consider a Markovian queue with infinite capacity and with customers that are homogeneous with respect to their cost reward functions. We show that that no threshold strategy can be a Nash equilibrium strategy. Furthermore, we show that for any threshold strategy adopted by all, the individual’s best response is a double threshold strategy. That is, join if and only if one of the following is true: (i) the inspected queue length is smaller than one threshold, or (ii) the inspected queue length is larger than a second threshold. Our model is under the assumption that the response time of the server when he finds out that a customer balked is negligible. We also discuss the validity of the result when the response time is not negligible.     

Some results on a generalized M/G/1 feedback queue with negative customers

This paper deals with a generalized M/G/1 feedback queue in which customers are either “positive" or “negative". We assume that the service time distribution of a positive customer who initiates a busy period is G _e (x) and all subsequent positive customers in the same busy period have service time drawn independently from the distribution G _b (x). The server is idle until a random number N of positive customers accumulate in the queue. Following the arrival of the N-th positive customer, the server serves exhaustively the positive customers in the queue and then a new idle period commences. This queueing system is a generalization of the conventional N-policy queue with N a constant number. Explicit expressions for the probability generating function and mean of the system size of positive customers are obtained under steady-state condition. Various vacation models are discussed as special cases. The effects of various parameters on the mean system size and the probability that the system is empty are also analysed numerically. AMS Subject Classification: Primary: 60 K 25 · Secondary: 60 K 20, 90 B 22     

Stationary distribution of queue length in G / M / 1 queue with two-stage service policy

We consider a G / M / 1 queue with two-stage service policy. The server starts to serve with rate of μ₁ customers per unit time until the number of customers in the system reaches λ. At this moment, the service rate is changed to that of μ₂ customers per unit time and this rate continues until the system is empty. We obtain the stationary distribution of the number of customers in the system.     

Queues with hysteretic control by vacation and post-vacation periods

The paper investigates the queueing process in stochastic systems with bulk input, batch state dependent service, server vacations, and three post-vacation disciplines. The policy of leaving and entering busy periods is hysteretic, meaning that, initially, the server leaves the system on multiple vacation trips whenever the queue falls below r (⩾1), and resumes service when during his absence the system replenishes to N or more customers upon one of his returns. During his vacation trips, the server can be called off on emergency, limiting his trips by a specified random variable (thereby encompassing several classes of vacation queues, such as ones with multiple and single vacations). If by then the queue has not reached another fixed threshold M (⩽ N), the server enters a so-called “post-vacation period” characterized by three different disciplines: waiting, or leaving on multiple vacation trips with or without emergency. For all three disciplines, the probability generating functions of the discrete and continuous time parameter queueing processes in the steady state are obtained in a closed analytic form. The author uses a semi-regenerative approach and enhances fluctuation techniques (from his previous studies) preceding the analysis of queueing systems. Various examples demonstrate and discuss the results obtained. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Queueing models for appointment-driven systems

Many service systems are appointment-driven. In such systems, customers make an appointment and join an external queue (also referred to as the “waiting list”). At the appointed date, the customer arrives at the service facility, joins an internal queue and receives service during a service session. After service, the customer leaves the system. Important measures of interest include the size of the waiting list, the waiting time at the service facility and server overtime. These performance measures may support strategic decision making concerning server capacity (e.g. how often, when and for how long should a server be online). We develop a new model to assess these performance measures. The model is a combination of a vacation queueing system and an appointment system.     

Equilibrium analysis of the observable queues with balking and delayed repairs

The equilibrium threshold balking strategies are investigated for the fully observable and partially observable single-server queues with server breakdowns and delayed repairs. Upon arriving, the customers decide whether to join or balk the queue based on observation of the queue length and status of the server, along with the consideration of waiting cost and the reward after finishing their service. By using Markov chain approach and system cost analysis, we obtain the stationary distribution of queue size of the queueing systems and provide algorithms in order to identify the equilibrium strategies for the fully and partially observable models. Finally, the equilibrium threshold balking strategies and the equilibrium social benefit for all customers are derived for the fully and partially observable system respectively, both with server breakdowns and delayed repairs.     

Single line queue with recurrent repeated demands

We analyze a model queueing system in which customers cannot be in continuous contact with the server, but must call in to request service. If the server is free, the customer enters service immediately, but if the server is occupied, the unsatisfied customer must break contact and reapply for service later. There are two types of customer present who may reapply. First transit customers who arrive from outside according to a Poisson process and if they find the server busy they join a source of unsatisfied customers, called the orbit, who according to an exponential distribution reapply for service till they find the server free and leave the system on completion of service. Secondly there are a number of recurrent customers present who reapply for service according to a different exponential distribution and immediately go back in to the orbit after each completion of service. We assume a general service time distribution and calculate several characterstic quantities of the system for both the constant rate of reapplying for service and for the case when customers are discouraged and reduce their rate of demand as more customers join the orbit.     

Analysis of customers’ impatience in queues with server vacations

Many models for customers impatience in queueing systems have been studied in the past; the source of impatience has always been taken to be either a long wait already experienced at a queue, or a long wait anticipated by a customer upon arrival. In this paper we consider systems with servers vacations where customers’ impatience is due to an absentee of servers upon arrival. Such a model, representing frequent behavior by waiting customers in service systems, has never been treated before in the literature. We present a comprehensive analysis of the single-server, M/M/1 and M/G/1 queues, as well as of the multi-server M/M/c queue, for both the multiple and the single-vacation cases, and obtain various closed-form results. In particular, we show that the proportion of customer abandonments under the single-vacation regime is smaller than that under the multiple-vacation discipline. This work was supported by the Euro-Ngi network of excellence.     

Transient analysis of a queue with system disasters and customer impatience

A single server queue with Poisson arrivals and exponential service times is studied. The system suffers disastrous breakdowns at an exponential rate, resulting in the loss of all running and waiting customers. When the system is down, it undergoes a repair mechanism where the repair time follows an exponential distribution. During the repair time any new arrival is allowed to join the system, but the customers become impatient when the server is not available for a long time. In essence, each customer, upon arrival, activates an individual timer, which again follows an exponential distribution with parameter ξ. If the system is not repaired before the customer’s timer expires, the customer abandons the queue and never returns. The time-dependent system size probabilities are presented using generating functions and continued fractions.     

The acquisition queue

We propose a new queueing model named the acquisition queue. It differs from conventional queueing models in that the server not only serves customers, but also performs acquisition of new customers. The server has to divide its energy between both activities. The number of newly acquired customers is uncertain, and the effect of the server’s acquisition efforts can only be seen after some fixed time period δ (delay). The acquisition queue constitutes a (δ+1)-dimensional Markov chain. The limiting queue length distribution is derived in terms of its probability generating function, and an exact expression for the mean queue length is given. For large values of δ the numerical procedures needed for calculating the mean queue length become computationally cumbersome. We therefore complement the exact expression with a fluid approximation. One of the key features of the acquisition queue is that the server performs more acquisition when the queue is small. Together with the delay, this causes the queue length process to show a strongly cyclic behavior. We propose and investigate several ways of planning the acquisition efforts. In particular, we propose an acquisition scheme that is designed specifically to reduce the cyclic behavior of the queue length process. This research was financially supported by the European Network of Excellence Euro-NGI. The work of the second author was supported in part by a TALENT grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).     

An M/G/1 queue under hysteretic vacation policy with an early startup and un-reliable server

This paper considers the bi-level control of an M/G/1 queueing system, in which an un-reliable server operates N policy with a single vacation and an early startup. The server takes a vacation of random length when he finishes serving all customers in the system (i.e., the system is empty). Upon completion of the vacation, the server inspects the number of customers waiting in the queue. If the number of customers is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold m, the server immediately performs a startup time; otherwise, he remains dormant in the system and waits until m or more customers accumulate in the queue. After the startup, if there are N or more customers waiting for service, the server immediately begins serving the waiting customers. Otherwise the server is stand-by in the system and waits until the accumulated number of customers reaches or exceeds N. Further, it is assumed that the server breaks down according to a Poisson process and his repair time has a general distribution. We obtain the probability generating function in the system through the decomposition property and then derive the system characteristics     

Equilibrium arrival times to a queue with order penalties

Suppose customers need to choose when to arrive to a congested queue with some desired service at the end, provided by a single server that operates only during a certain time interval. We study a model where the customers incur not only congestion (waiting) costs but also penalties for their index of arrival. Arriving before other customers is desirable when the value of service decreases with every admitted customer. This may be the case for example when arriving at a concert or a bus with unmarked seats or going to lunch in a busy cafeteria. We provide game theoretic analysis of such queueing systems with a given number of customers, specifically we characterize the arrival process which constitutes a symmetric Nash equilibrium.     

To wait or not to wait: Strategic behaviors in an observable batch-service queueing system

This paper deals with an observable batch service queueing system in which customers rationally choose whether to form a batch with another customer or not, in addition to deciding whether or not to join the queue. When choosing whether to form a batch, a customer in an incomplete batch decides on an optimal waiting time for the next customer to arrive and share the service fee. When choosing whether to join the queue, customers follow a threshold strategy, which depends on the strategy identified in the former game.     

Steady-state probability of the randomized server control system with second optional service, server breakdowns and startup

This paper deals with the 〈N,p〉-policy M/G/1 queue with server breakdowns and general startup times, where customers arrive to demand the first essential service and some of them further demand a second optional service. Service times of the first essential service channel are assumed to follow a general distribution and that of the second optional service channel are another general distribution. The server breaks down according to a Poisson process and his repair times obey a general distribution in the first essential service channel and second optional service channel, respectively. The server operation starts only when N (N≥1) customers have accumulated, he requires a startup time before each busy period. When the system becomes empty, turn the server off with probability p (p∈[0,1]) and leave it on with probability (1?p). The method of maximum entropy principle is used to develop the approximate steady-state probability distribution of the queue length in the M/G(G, G)/1 queueing system. A study of the derived approximate results, compared to the established exact results for three different 〈N,p〉-policy queues, suggests that the maximum entropy principle provides a useful method for solving complex queueing systems.     

Stationary Distributions of GI/M/c Queue with PH Type Vacations

We study a GI/M/c type queueing system with vacations in which all servers take vacations together when the system becomes empty. These servers keep taking synchronous vacations until they find waiting customers in the system at a vacation completion instant.The vacation time is a phase-type (PH) distributed random variable. Using embedded Markov chain modeling and the matrix geometric solution methods, we obtain explicit expressions for the stationary probability distributions of the queue length at arrivals and the waiting time. To compare the vacation model with the classical GI/M/c queue without vacations, we prove conditional stochastic decomposition properties for the queue length and the waiting time when all servers are busy. Our model is a generalization of several previous studies.     

A Discrete-Time Single-Server Queueing System Under Multiple Vacations and Setup-Closedown Times

Abstract

This article concerns a Geo/G/1/∞ queueing system under multiple vacations and setup-closedown times. Specifically, the operation of the system is as follows. After each departure leaving an empty system, the server is deactivated during a closedown time. At the end of each closedown time, if at least a customer is present in the system, the server begins the service of the customers (is reactivated) without setup; however, if the system is completely empty, the server takes a vacation. At the end of each vacation, if there is at least a customer in the system, the server requires a startup time (is reactivated) before beginning the service of the customers; nevertheless, if there are not customers waiting in the system, the server takes another vacation. By applying the supplementary variable technique, the joint generating function of the server state and the system length together with the main performance measures are derived. We also study the length of the different busy periods of the server. The stationary distributions of the time spent waiting in the queue and in the system under the FCFS discipline are analysed too. Finally, a cost model with some numerical results is presented.     

Multiserver queue with addressed retrials

This paper presents a multiserver retrial queueing system with servers kept apart, thereby rendering it impossible for one to know the status (idle/busy) of the others. Customers proceeding to one channel will have to go to orbit if the server in it is busy and retry after some time to some channel, not necessarily the one already tried. Each orbital customer, independently of others, chooses the server randomly according to some specified probability distribution. Further this distribution is identical for all customers. We assume that the same ‘orbit’ is used by all retrial customers, between repeated attempts, to access the servers. We derive the system state probability distribution under Poisson arrival process of external customers, exponentially distributed service times and linear retrial rates to access the servers. Several system state characteristics are obtained and numerical illustrations provided. AMS subject classification: Primary 60K25 60K20     

An MX/G/1 queueing system with a setup period and a vacation period

This paper deals with an M^X/G/1 queueing system with a vacation period which comprises an idle period and a random setup period. The server is turned off each time when the system becomes empty. At this point of time the idle period starts. As soon as a customer or a batch of customers arrive, the setup of the service facility begins which is needed before starting each busy period. In this paper we study the steady state behaviour of the queue size distributions at stationary (random) point of time and at departure point of time. One of our findings is that the departure point queue size distribution is the convolution of the distributions of three independent random variables. Also, we drive analytically explicit expressions for the system state probabilities and some performance measures of this queueing system. Finally, we derive the probability generating function of the additional queue size distribution due to the vacation period as the limiting behaviour of the M^X/M/1 type queueing system. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.