Transient Model for Jackson Networks and Its Approximation

Jackson networks have been very successful in so many areas in modeling parallel and distributed systems. However, the ability of Jackson networks to predict performance with system changes remains an open question, since Jackson networks do not apply to systems where there are population size constraints. Also, the product-form solution of Jackson networks assumes steady state systems exponential service centers with FCFS queueing discipline. In this paper, we present a transient model for Jackson networks. The model is applicable under any population size. This model can be used to study the transient behavior of Jackson networks and if the number of customers in the network is large enough, the model accurately approaches the product-form solution (steady state solution). Finally, an approximation to the transient model using the steady state solution is presented.