Discrete-time analysis of a classified multi-server queue with burst arrivals and a shared buffer

Abstract

We study a discrete-time, classified multi-server queue with a shared buffer. There arem servers and each server belongs to one ofk classes (m≥k), so thatk kinds of jobs can be served in the system. We characterize a bursty arrival process using bursts which consist of the same kind of jobs. Once the first job of a burst arrives at the queue, the successive jobs will arrive on every time slot until the last job of the burst arrives. The numbers of jobs of a burst and the inter-arrival times of bursts are assumed to be i.i.d., respectively, and the service time is assumed to be equal to one slot. We propose an efficient numerical method to exactly obtain the job loss probability, the waiting time distribution and the mean queue length. We apply this model to the ATM switch with a shared buffer and obtain the performance measures. Numerical results show the advantage of the ATM switch with a shared buffer compared to the one with output buffers.