Quasi-birth-and-death Markov processes with a tree structure and the MMAP[K]/PH[K]/N/LCFS non-preemptive queue

This paper studies a multi-server queueing system with multiple types of customers and last-come-first-served (LCFS) non-preemptive service discipline. First, a quasi-birth-and-death (QBD) Markov process with a tree structure is defined and some classical results of QBD Markov processes are generalized. Second, the MMAP[K]/PH[K]/N/LCFS non-preemptive queue is introduced. Using results of the QBD Markov process with a tree structure, explicit formulas are derived and an efficient algorithm is developed for computing the stationary distribution of queue strings. Numerical examples are presented to show the impact of the correlation and the pattern of the arrival process on the queueing process of each type of customer. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.