Mean Response Times in Accessing a Time-Sharing Computer

In a time-sharing computer system a queueing problem arose whose solution could not be found easily using classical queueing techniques. The assumption of an exponential distribution for the time between arriving messages has enabled a theory to be constructed to find the average response times for customers. Since the system modelled is a simple interrogation service the analysis and results should be of general use. In particular the distributions of service times required by the customers can be quite general.