Fair operation of multi-server and multi-queue systems

Abstract

This work aims at studying the fairness of multi-queue and multi-server queueing systems. We deal with the issues of queue-multiplicity, queue joining policy and queue jockeying and use a quantitative measure (RAQFM) to evaluate them. Our results yield the relative fairness of the mechanisms as a function of the system configuration and parameters. Practitioners can use these results to quantitatively account for system fairness and to weigh efficiency aspects versus fairness aspects in designing and controlling their queueing systems. In particular, we quantitatively demonstrate that: 1) Joining the shortest queue increases fairness, 2) A single combined queue system is more fair than separate (multi) queue system and 3) Jockeying from the head of a queue is more fair than jockeying from its tail.