On a doubly dynamically controlled supermarket model with impatient customers

In this paper, we provide a key generalization of the supermarket model both from the impatient customers and from a doubly dynamic control, which may also be related to the size-based scheduling through the centered management of the customer resource as well as the total service ability. We first use an infinite-dimensional Markov process to express the states of this supermarket model, and set up an infinite-dimensional system of differential equations satisfied by the expected fraction vector. Then we use the operator semigroup to provide a mean-field limit for the sequence of infinite-dimensional Markov processes, which asymptotically approaches a single trajectory identified by the unique and global solution to the infinite-dimensional system of limiting differential equations. Finally, we provide an effective and efficient algorithm for computing the fixed point of the infinite-dimensional system of limiting differential equations, and use the fixed point to give performance analysis of this supermarket model. Also, some numerical examples are given to demonstrate how the performance measures depend on some crucial parameters of this supermarket model. We believe that the mean-field method developed in this paper will be useful and effective for analyzing more complicated supermarket models in many practical areas. & 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.