Preface

Overview
The study of queueing models has been of considerable active interest ever
since the birth of queueing theory at the beginning of the last century. Queueing theory continues to be one of the most extensive theories of stochastic
models. Its progress and development, both in methodology and in applications, are ever growing. Innovative analytic treatments toward its theoretical
development are being advanced, and newer areas of application are emerging.
There is a large and growing audience interested in the study of queueing
models. The level of background and preparation among them varies a great
deal, along with their requirements for depth of coverage. The audience is
composed of advanced undergraduate and graduate students from a number
of disciplines. In addition to students of standard graduate courses, there are
many researchers, professionals, and industry analysts who require an in-depth
knowledge of the subject.
There are, of course, some excellent advanced works, monographs, and texts
on the subject as well. The rapid development of the subject demands updated
texts, especially for the type of audience aimed at. Furthermore, the style of
presentation and the approach of individual authors appeal to different sections
of this large and varied audience.
The author feels that there is sufficient scope and material to warrant additional texts, especially at the graduate level, in this ever-growing subject
area. This book has grown out of the author's long experience of teaching and
research in India, the United States, and Canada. A reviewer's glowing compliment {in American Mathematical Monthly) on the author's first book Stochastic
Processes (Wiley Eastern, and Halsted Wiley 1982) inspired the author to undertake preparation of a book on queueing models in a similar readable style.
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Preface

Organization of the book

The book is divided into eight chapters. Chapter 1 is a summary of basic results
in stochastic processes. This should be helpful to users in eliminating the need
to refer frequently to other books on stochastic processes just for basic results.
Chapter 2, which is devoted to general concepts, contains some discussions on
concepts such as PASTA, superposition of arrival processes, and customer and
time averages. Chapters 3 and 4 deal with birth-and-death queueing models
and non-birth-and-death systems, respectively. Transient behavior and busy
period analysis have been discussed at some length, and a uniformity of approach is emphasized. Some models of bulk queues have also been included
because of their importance in transportation science. Chapter 5 is devoted
to networks of queues and Chapter 6 to certain non-Markovian queueing systems. In Chapter 7, systems with both general arrival and service patterns are
discussed. Chapter 8 covers miscellaneous topics such as asymptotic methods
and queues with vacations, with a brief excursion into the design and control
of queues. Diffusion approximations, which have emerged as powerful tools,
have been discussed in some detail. We believe this chapter will be especially
useful to researchers and professionals who wish to have a broad, general idea
of the diffusion approximation methods.
Each of the chapters (except Chapter 2) contains a number of worked examples and problems, and all the chapters include extensive and recent references.
The problems contain some materials that have been discussed, keeping in
mind researchers and those who wish to pursue the subject further.

Changes to the new edition

In order to facilitate use of the second edition by those who are already familiar
with the first edition, a drastic change in the basic structure has been avoided.
The number of chapters has been kept at eight, with considerable additions in
the broad topics mainly based on recent developments during the intervening
years. Apart from inclusion of new topics (including some emerging during the
past few years), new examples, and new problems, topical discussions have been
expanded through notes, remarks, and so on. References have been updated.
These have been supplemented by related works of interest for further reading.
Chapters 3, 6, and 8, in particular, contain many new topics. Some of the new
matters address finite input source and finite buffer models, advanced vacation
models, retrial queueing systems, and a newly emerging trend in teletraffic
processes and their analyses. My sincere hope is that the book will be found
useful as a graduate text and also as a reference book by professionals and
researchers in this subject area.
In addition to mathematics and statistics, the book could be used for a oneor two-semester course at the advanced undergraduate or graduate level in
operations research, computer science, systems science, industrial (and other

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branches of) engineering, telecommunications, economics, management, and

business (with programs focused on quantitative methods).

Course coverage
The prerequisites for using this book are a course on apphed probabiHty and a
course on advanced calculus.
Teachers would be the best judges of topics to be covered in a course. The
following suggestions are for their consideration:
For a two-semester course:
The whole book.
For a one-semester course:
Sections 1.1 through 1.5; 1.7 through 1.9;
Sections 2.1 through 2.7;
Sections 3.1 through 3.8 and 3.11;
Sections 4.2 and 4.3;
Sections 5.1 through 5.4;
Sections 6.1 through 6.4; 6.7, 6.9 and 6.10; and
Sections 7.1 and 8.1
Exercises are to be selected from problems and complements.

Acknowledgments
I am intellectually indebted to all those whose works have stimulated my interest
in this subject area. I have drawn freely and widely from the ever-increasing
body of literature.
In preparing this book, I have received encouragement and assistance in various ways from a number of experts, friends, and colleagues from this country
and abroad. I am thankful to them all.
I am most grateful to Professor J. G. C. Templeton (University of Toronto)
and to Professor David D. Yao (Columbia University, formerly of Harvard
University), both of whom painstakingly read portions of the original first
edition manuscript and offered useful comments and valuable suggestions.
Our eldest son, (Professor) Deepankar Medhi (University of Missouri,
Kansas City, formerly of AT&T Bell Laboratories), and our eldest daughter,
Shakuntala Choudhury (AT&T Technology Systems, Bridgewater, NJ), rendered invaluable technical assistance. Our younger son, Shubhankar, and
younger daughter, Alakanandaa have been of great help. Interest has been
shown also by our granddaughters, Namrata Gargee Choudhury (now at
University of Pennsylvania) and Sumangala, and grandsons Neiloy, Robby,
Abhishek Vikram, and Shimankar.
After the first edition appeared I received feedback from several users
and experts. At my specific request. Professor Pavel P. Bocharov, Moscow

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Preface

(reviewer of the first edition in Mathematical Reviews) took great pains to

look into the first edition carefiiUy and was kind enough to offer concrete
suggestions for improvement. I am immensely grateful to him. I would like to
thank Professors Sheldon Ross, Svetlozar Rachev, Donald Miller, Chun Jin, and
Morteza Shafii-Mousavi, as well as Dr. Patrick L. Reilly (then with Motorola)
for their many helpful comments. I thank Dr. A. Borthakur, Dr. G. Choudhury,
and Dr. K. K. Das, who helped me with proofreading. My very special thanks are
due to Dr. Das who along with Mitra also managed much of the typesetting in
LaTex with great efficiency. Deepankar provided me with interesting material
and references. Our grandson Riddhiman was a source of inspiration.
Last but not least, I thank my wife, Prity, who bore with me patiently through
the long hours that kept me engaged for months and months and who seldom
complained of (or was tired of) waiting!
Assistance from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of
India, is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also due to Ms. Barbara Holland,
Ms. Nancy Zachor, Mr. Tom Singer and other concerned individuals of
Academic Press for their care and cooperation.
July 1, 2002

Jyotiprasad Medhi