A mathematical model for discrete-time buffer systems with correlated output process

Abstract

This article considers an infinite buffer system with one or more input channels and multiple output channels. Transmission of messages from the buffer is synchronous and the arrival process of messages to the buffer is general. Each of the output channels is subjected to a random interruption process, i.e., the number of available output channels varies in time and is stochastic. The analysis of this system is carried out under the assumption that the output process can be described as a first order Markov process, i.e., the probability distribution of the number of available output channels during some clock time interval depends only on the number of available output channels during the previous clock time interval. A set of equations describing the behavior of this buffer system is derived. For a number of interesting special cases this set is solved and explicit expressions are obtained for the probability generating function of the number of messages in the buffer. Several prior studies are found as special cases of the present one. An illustrative example is treated and the results are compared to the ones obtained for an uncorrelated output process with the same equilibrium distribution. Some considerable deviations from these results are found.