Simulation methods tor response times in networks of queues

Abstract

We describe theoretically sound and computationally efficient estimation methods for "passage times" in certain closed networks of queues. Informally, a passage time is the time for a job to traverse a portion of the network. Such quantities are important in computer and communication system models where they represent job response times, and in this context, quantities other than mean values are of interest. From a single simulation run, the methods described here provide both point estimates and confidence intervals for general characteristics of response times.