Stabilizing performance in a single-server queue with time-varying arrival rate

Abstract

We consider a class of general $$G_t/G_t/1$$Gt/Gt/1 single-server queues, including the $$M_t/M_t/1$$Mt/Mt/1 queue, with unlimited waiting space, service in order of arrival, and a time-varying arrival rate, where the service rate at each time is subject to control. We study the rate-matching control, where the service rate is made proportional to the arrival rate. We show that the model with the rate-matching control can be regarded as a deterministic time transformation of a stationary G / G / 1 model, so that the queue length distribution is stabilized as time evolves. However, the time-varying virtual waiting time is not stabilized. We show that the time-varying expected virtual waiting time with the rate-matching service-rate control becomes inversely proportional to the arrival rate in a heavy-traffic limit. We also show that no control that stabilizes the queue length asymptotically in heavy traffic can also stabilize the virtual waiting time. Then we consider two square-root service-rate controls and show that one of these stabilizes the waiting time when the arrival rate changes slowly relative to the average service time, so that a pointwise stationary approximation is appropriate.