A queue is a waiting line of "customers" requiring service from

one or more servers. A queue forms whenever existing demand

exceeds the existing capacity of the service facility; that is
whenever arriving customers cannot receive immediate service
due to busy servers.

Queueing Theory is the study of the waiting line systems.

STRUCTURE OF A QUEUEING MODEL
Components of Queueing Process
1.0 The Arrival Process
A. The calling source may be single or multiple populations.
B. The calling source may be finite or infinite
C. Single or bulk arrivals may occur.
D. Total, partial or no control of arrivals can be exercised by the
queueing system.
E. Units can emanate from a deterministic or probabilistic generating
process.
F. A probabilistic arrival process can be described either by an
empirical or a theoretical probability distribution.
G. A stationary arrival process may or may not exist.
Components of Queueing Process
2.0 The Queue Configuration
The queue configuration refers to the number of queues in the
system, their relationship to the servers and spatial consideration.

A. A queue may be a single queue or a multiple queue.

B. Queues may exist
A. physically in one place
B. physically in disparate locations
C. conceptually
D. not at all
C. A queueing system may impose restriction on the maximum
number of units allowed.
Components of Queueing Process
3.0 Queue Discipline

The following disciplines are possible:

A. lf the system is filled to capacity, the arriving unit is rejected
B. Balking - a customer does not join the queue
C. Reneging - a customer joins the queue and subsequently decides to leave
D. Collusion - customers collaborate to reduce waiting time
E. Jockeying - a customer switching between multiple queues
F. Cycling - a customer returning to the queue after being given service

Customers who do not balk, renege, collude, jockey, cycle, non-randomly select
from among multiple queues are said to be patient.
Components of Queueing Process
4.0 Service Discipline

The following disciplines are possible:

A. First-Come, First-Served (FCFS)

B. Last-Come, First-Served (LCFS)
C. Service in Random Order (SIRO)
D. Round Robin Service
E. Priority Service
Components of Queueing Process
5.0. Service Facility
The following disciplines are possible:

A. The service facility can have none, one, or multiple servers.

B. Multiple servers can be parallel, in series (tandem) or both
Components of Queueing Process
5.0. Service Facility

Channels in parallel may be

cooperative or uncooperative.
By policy, channels can also be variable
Components of Queueing Process
5.0. Service Facility
The following disciplines are possible:

C. Service times can be deterministic or probabilistic. Random

variables may be specified by an empirical or theoretical
distribution.
D. State: Dependent state parameters refer to cases where the
parameters refer to cases where the parameters are affected
by a change of the number of units in the system.
E. Breakdowns among servers can also be considered.
Classifications of Models and Solutions
1.0. Taxonomy of Queueing Models
A model may be represented using the Kendall- Lee Notation: (a/b/c):( d/e/f)

where:
a = arrival rate distribution
b = service rate distribution
c = no. of parallel service channels (identical service)
d = service discipline
e = maximum no. allowed in the system
f = calling source
Common Notations:
M Poisson/Exponential rates
G - General Distribution of Service Times
Ek- Erlangian Distribution
Classifications of Models and Solutions
2.0 Methods of Solution
A. Analytical: The use of standard queueing models yields
analytical results.
B. Simulation: Some complex queueing systems cannot be
solved analytically. (non-Poisson models)

3.0 Transient vs. Steady State

A. A solution in the transient state is one that is time dependent.
B. A solution is in the steady state when it is in statistical
equilibrium (time independent)
Classifications of Models and Solutions
4.0 Analytical Queueing Models Information Flow

In steady state systems, the operating characteristics do not

vary with time.
Classifications of Models and Solutions
Notation
c = effective mean arrival rate
= c if queue is infinite
e = - [expected number who balk if the queue is finite
W = expected waiting time of a customer in the system
Wq = expected waiting time of a customer in the queue
Classifications of Models and Solutions
Notation
L = expected no. of customers in the system
Lq = expected number of customers in the queue
Po = probability of no customers in the system
Pn = probability of n customers in the system
= traffic intensity= /
c= effective traffic intensity= e/
GENERAL RELATIONSHIPS:
(LITTLE'S FORMULA)
The following expressions are valid for all queueing models.
These relationships were developed by J. Little

Note: lf the queue is finite, is replaced by e

EXPONENTIAL QUEUEING MODELS
In the models that will be presented the following
assumptions hold true for any model:

1. The customers of the queueing system are patient

customers.
2. The service discipline is general discipline (GD), which
means that the derivations do not consider any
specific type of service discipline
EXPONENTIAL QUEUEING MODELS
The derivation of the queueing models involve the use of
a set of difference-differential equations which allow the
determination of the state probabilities.

These state probabilities can also be calculated by the

use of the following principle:
Rate-Equality Principle: The rate at which the
process enters state n equals the rate at which it leaves
state n.