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Bowl Shapes Are Better with Buffers–Sometimes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2009

Jie Ding  and
Betsy S. Greenberg
Jie Ding
Affiliation:
Management Department The University of Texas, at Austin Austin, Texas 78712
Betsy S. Greenberg
Affiliation:
Management Science and Information Systems DepartmentThe University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
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Abstract

We consider tandem queueing systems with a general arrival process and exponential service distribution. The queueing system consists of several stations with finite intermediate buffer capacity between the stations. We address the problem of determining the optimal arrangement for the stations. We find that considering the last two stations, the departure process is stochastically faster if the slower station is last. Our results are consistent with the “bowl shape” phenomenon that has been observed in serial queueing systems with zero buffer capacity.

Type
Articles
Information
Probability in the Engineering and Informational Sciences , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , April 1991 , pp. 159 - 169
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

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