Optimal Server Allocation in Reconfigurable Clusters with Multiple Job Types

Palmer, J; Mitrani, I

doi:10.1007/978-3-540-24709-8_9

Optimal Server Allocation in Reconfigurable Clusters with Multiple Job Types

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Jennie Palmer, Emeritus Professor Isi Mitrani

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Abstract

We examine a system where the servers in a cluster may be switched dynamically and preemptively from one kind of work to another. The demand consists of M job types joining separate queues, with different arrival and service characteristics, and also different relative importance represented by appropriate holding costs. The switching of a server from queue i to queue j incurs a cost which may be monetary or may involve a period of unavailability. The optimal switching policy is obtained numerically by solving a dynamic programming equation. Two simple heuristic policies - one static and one dynamic - are evaluated by simulation and are compared to the optimal policy. The dynamic heuristic is shown to perform well over a range of parameters, including changes in demand. © Springer-Verlag 2004.