Queuing Models

In a simple but typical queuing model, customers arrive from time to time
and join a queue (waiting line), then served, and finally leave the system

Population Waiting Server

of line of
potential customers
customers

The term “customer” refers to any type of entity that can be

viewed as requesting service from a system.

Queuing models provide the analyst with a powerful tool for

designing and evaluating the performance of queuing systems.

Characteristics of queuing systems

The key elements of a queuing system are customers and servers.

Next table lists a number of different systems together with
customers and servers.

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 Examples of queuing systems

System customers servers

reception desk people receptionist

repair facility machine repair person

hospital patients nurses

grocery shoppers checkout station

mass transit riders busses, trains

airport airplanes runway

garage trucks mechanic

Simulation of Queuing systems

A queuing system is described by its calling population, the nature

of the arrivals, the service mechanism, the system capacity, and
the queuing discipline.

In a single channel queue, the calling population is infinite.

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 Arrivals for service occur one at a time in a random fashion, once
they join the waiting line, they are eventually served. In addition,
service times are of some random length. The system capacity has
no limit, meaning that any number of units can wait in line.

Finally, units are served in the order of their arrival (first in, first
out –FIFO) by a single server.

For any single or multi-channel queue, the overall effective arrival

rate must be less than the total service rate.

The state of the system is the number of units in the system.

The state of the server is idle or busy.

The event is either the entry of a unit into the system ( arrival
event ), or the completion of service on a unit ( departure event )

The departure event occurs when a unit has just completed the
service. the simulation proceeds in the manner shown in the flow-
diagram below .Note that the server has only two possible states.
It is either busy or idle.

Departure
event

Begin No Another Yes Remove

server idle unit waiting unit
time waiting? from queue

End servicing
3
Begin servicing
the unit the unit
 The arrival event occurs when a unit enters the system. The unit
may find the server either idle or busy, therefore, either the unit
begins service immediately, or it enters the queue for the server.
See the following flow diagram.

Arrival event

Unit begins No Server Yes

Unit enters
receiving busy?
queue
service

In a single channel queuing system, the inter arrival times and

service times are generated from the distributions of these
variables. Next table contains a set of 5 inter arrival times which
are used to compute the arrival times of 6 customers at the
queuing system.

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Table 1 – Inter-arrival time

Customer Inter arrival time Arrival time on clock

1 -- 0

2 2 2

3 4 6

4 1 7

5 2 9

6 6 15

The first customer is assumed to arrive at clock time 0. This starts

the clock in operation. The second customer arrives two time
units later, at a clock time of 2. The third customer arrives four
time units later, at a clock time of six, and so on.

The second time of interest is the service time. Next table

contains service times generated at random from a distribution of
service times. The only possible service times are 1,2,3, and 4
time units.

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Table 2 – Service time

Customer Service time

1 2

2 1

3 3

4 2

5 1

6 4

Now , the enter arrival times and service times must be meshed
to simulate the system as shown in the next table

Table 3 – Arrival time & Service time

Customer Arrival Time Service time Time

time service service
(duration)
(clock) begins ends
(clock)
(clock)

1 0 0 2 2

2 2 2 1 3

3 6 6 3 9

6
 4 7 9 2 11

5 9 11 1 12

6 15 15 4 19

Example 1:

A small grocery store has only one checkout counter. Customers

arrive at this checkout counter at random from 1 to 8 minutes
apart as shown in next table.

customer Time customer Time

between between
arrivals arrivals

1 -- 11 1

2 8 12 1

3 6 13 5

4 1 14 6

5 8 15 3

6 3 16 8

7 8 17 1

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 8 7 18 2

9 2 19 4

10 3 20 5

The service times vary from 1 to 6 minutes as shown in next

table.

The problem is to analyze the system by simulating the arrival

and service of 20 customers

customer Service customer Service time

time

1 4 11 3

2 1 12 5

3 4 13 4

4 3 14 1

5 2 15 5

6 4 16 4

7 5 17 3

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 8 4 18 3

9 5 19 2

10 3 20 3

The simulation table for the single channel queue is shown in next
table

customer Inter Arrival Service Waiting Time Time Customer Idle

arrival time time time service service time in a time
time begins ends system for
server
11 1 47 3 6 53 56 9 0

12 1 48 5 8 56 61 13 0

13 5 53 4 8 61 65 12 0

14 6 59 1 6 65 66 7 0

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 15 3 62 5 4 66 71 9 0

16 8 70 4 1 71 75 5 0

17 1 71 3 4 75 78 7 0

18 2 73 3 5 78 81 8 0

19 4 77 2 4 81 83 6 0

20 5 82 3 1 83 86 4 0

Total 82 68 56 124 18

Some of the findings from the previous table are:

1- Average waiting time = total waiting time of customers / total no. of

customers

= 56/20 = 2.8 min.

2- probability of waiting = no. of waiting customers / total no. of

customers

= 13/20 = 0.65

3- usage rate = total service time / time between beginning 1st service
and ending last service = 68 / 86 = 0.79

4- average service time = total service time / no. of customers = 68 /

20 = 3.4 min

5- average inter arrival time = total inter arrival time / (no. of

customers – 1)

= 82/19 = 4.3 min

6- average time customer spends in the system = total time

customers spend in the system / total no of customers

= 124 / 20 = 6.2 min OR

= average waiting time + average service time = 2.8 + 3.4 = 6.2 min

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