Optimization of Fixed Time Polling Schemes

摘要

The problem of deriving efficient operational rules for polling queues accordingto a fixed time polling scheme is addressed. A fixed time polling scheme specifies the visit order of the queues, but also the starting times for each visit. This problem arose from the need to efficiently collect files with call records from telecommunication switches. Using a simple approximation for the mean waiting times in a polling system with a non-cyclic visit order of the queues, an approach to the problem of minimizing a weighted sum of the mean waiting times at the various queues is presented. This approach is tested via numerical experiments that are partly based on actual data for call records.