Maximum entropy analysis to the N policy M/G/1 queueing system with a removable server

Abstract

We study a single removable server in an M/G/1 queueing system operating under the N policy in steady-state. The server may be turned on at arrival epochs or off at departure epochs. Using the maximum entropy principle with several well-known constraint, we develop the approximate formulae for the probability distributions of the number of customers and the expected waiting time in the queue. We perform a comparative analysis between the approximate results with exact analytic results for three different service time distributions, exponential, 2-stage Erlang, and 2-stage hyper-exponential, The maximum entropy approximation approach is accurate enough for practical purposes. We demonstrate, through the maximum entropy principle results, that the N policy M/G/1 queueing system is sufficiently robust to the variations of service time distribution functions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.