The AMVA Priority Approximation

Most computer systems contain one or more system resources whose usage is controlled on the basis of workload priorities. Unfortunately, the exact analysis of queueing network models incorporating priority scheduling disciplines is usually infeasible. The MVA Priority Approximation has been proposed as a comparatively inexpensive, and yet reasonably accurate, approximation technique for queueing networks with priority scheduled service centers. Even this algorithm, however, is too expensive to apply to large networks with many classes of customers. In this paper, we show how the MVA Priority Approximation can be modified so that it utilizes approximate rather than exact Mean Value Analysis (MVA), without significant loss of accuracy. Extensive numerical experiments are performed to further assess the accuracy of the modified algorithm, termed here the AMVA Priority Approximation. These experiments utilize the parameter space mapping technique for studying 'local' queueing network approximations.