What Is a Queueing System?
A queue, also referred to as a waiting line, is formed when there are many customers trying to access a certain service from a single point or multiple points. Queuing is common, as you see people lining up in places like banks, movie halls, grocery stores, airline counters and supermarkets. Waiting in line is not limited to people, as objects queue during the production process while they wait to undergo different stages. The amount of time spent in the queue is determined by the number of servers giving services to the queue, the total service time taken by each person and the persons ahead of you in the queue.
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Customer Population
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Customers in a queue can either be infinite, also known as an open system, or finite, referred to as closed system. Infinite customers characterize systems with many likely customers, including banks, airlines, supermarkets and groceries. Finite customers can be found in processes, with products waiting to undergo several defined phases during production. The waiting time to access a server in closed systems is well defined, whereas in open systems it is undefined.
Queue
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A queue refers to the customers waiting to access a certain service and typically excludes those being served. Customers can form several waiting lines or a single queue, depending on the number of servers available. In addition, the system capacity refers to the maximum customers that can be allowed to wait in a queue.
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Queuing Disciplines
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The term "queuing discipline" defines the rules that determine how customers enter and leave the queue during service. The First in First out (FIFO), also referred to as First Come First Serve (FCFS), serves customer according to their arrival time, with those who came first being given the first priority. This minimizes conflict and results in orderly queues. The Last In First Out (LIFO), or Last Come First Serve (LCFS), is normally used in stacks, since the last items on the pile will be the first ones to be unstacked. In Serve In Random Order (SIRO), customers are served randomly regardless of the arrival time.
Service Time
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Customers wait to access a certain activity that takes time to happen, referred to as a service. The service can be given by machines or actual people. The service time refers to the amount of time a customer spends accessing the service, which is often random. The number of servers present in a system determines the service time, as customers spend less time in systems consisting of many servers or multiple channel systems than those with just one server, referred to as a single channel system.
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