Optimal control of a removable and non-reliable server in an M/M/1 queueing system with exponential startup time

We study a single removable and non-reliable server in the N policy M/M/1 queueing system. The server begins service only when the number of customers in the system reaches N (N≥1). After each idle period, the startup times of the server follow the negative exponential distribution. While the server is working, it is subject to breakdowns according to a Poisson process. When the server breaks down, it requires repair at a repair facility, where the repair times follow the negative exponential distribution. The steady-state results are derived and it is shown that the probability that the server is busy is equal to the traffic intensity. Cost model is developed to determine the optimal operating N policy at minimum cost. Copyright Springer-Verlag 2003