On generalized processor sharing and objective functions: analytical framework

Today, telecommunication networks host a wide range of heterogeneous services. Some demand strict delay minima, while others only need a best-effort kind of service. To achieve service differentiation, network traffic is partitioned in several classes which is then transmitted according to a flexible and fair scheduling mechanism. Telecommunication networks can, for instance, use an implementation of Generalized Processor Sharing (GPS) in its internal nodes to supply an adequate Quality of Service to each class. GPS is flexible and fair, but also notoriously hard to study analytically. As a result, one has to resort to simulation or approximation techniques to optimize GPS for some given objective function. In this paper, we set up an analytical framework for two-class discrete-time probabilistic GPS which allows to optimize the scheduling for a generic objective function in terms of the mean unfinished work of both classes without the need for exact results or estimations/approximations for these performance characteristics. This framework is based on results of strict priority scheduling, which can be regarded as a special case of GPS, and some specific unfinished-work properties in two-class GPS. We also apply our framework on a popular type of objective functions, i.e., convex combinations of functions of the mean unfinished work. Lastly, we incorporate the framework in an algorithm to yield a faster and less computation-intensive result for the optimum of an objective function

Power series approximations for two-class generalized processor sharing systems

We develop power series approximations for a discrete-time queueing system with two parallel queues and one processor. If both queues are nonempty, a customer of queue 1 is served with probability beta, and a customer of queue 2 is served with probability 1-beta. If one of the queues is empty, a customer of the other queue is served with probability 1. We first describe the generating function U(z (1),z (2)) of the stationary queue lengths in terms of a functional equation, and show how to solve this using the theory of boundary value problems. Then, we propose to use the same functional equation to obtain a power series for U(z (1),z (2)) in beta. The first coefficient of this power series corresponds to the priority case beta=0, which allows for an explicit solution. All higher coefficients are expressed in terms of the priority case. Accurate approximations for the mean stationary queue lengths are obtained from combining truncated power series and Pad, approximation

Analysis of a two-class single-server discrete-time FCFS queue : the effect of interclass correlation

In this paper, we study a discrete-time queueing system with one server and two classes of customers. Customers enter the system according to a general independent arrival process. The classes of consecutive customers, however, are correlated in a Markovian way. The system uses a global FCFS service discipline, i.e., all arriving customers are accommodated in one single FCFS queue, regardless of their classes. The service-time distribution of the customers is general but class-dependent, and therefore, the exact order in which the customers of both classes succeed each other in the arrival stream is important, which is reflected by the complexity of the system content and waiting time analysis presented in this paper. In particular, a detailed waiting time analysis of this kind of multi-class system has not yet been published, and is considered to be one of the main novelties by the authors. In addition to that, a major aim of the paper is to estimate the impact of interclass correlation in the arrival stream on the total number of customers in the system, and the customer delay. The results reveal that the system can exhibit two different classes of stochastic equilibrium: a strong equilibrium where both customer classes give rise to stable behavior individually, and a compensated equilibrium where one customer type creates overload

Performance analysis of priority queueing systems in discrete time

The integration of different types of traffic in packet-based networks spawns the need for traffic differentiation. In this tutorial paper, we present some analytical techniques to tackle discrete-time queueing systems with priority scheduling. We investigate both preemptive (resume and repeat) and non-preemptive priority scheduling disciplines. Two classes of traffic are considered, high-priority and low-priority traffic, which both generate variable-length packets. A probability generating functions approach leads to performance measures such as moments of system contents and packet delays of both classes

15 september 2010: de internationale dag van de democratie

Since 2008 the International Community has been observing annually the International Day of Democracy. This article examines what exactly the international community celebrates on that day. In other words it is analyzed how the concept of democracy is defined within the UN framework