MULTI-CLASS RESOURCE SHARING WITH PREEMPTIVE PRIORITIES

Abstract

Different virtual machines can share servers, subject to resource constraints. Incoming jobs whose resource requirements cannot be satisfied are queued and receive service according to a preemptive-resume scheduling policy. The problem is to evaluate a cost function, including holding and server costs, with a view to searching for the optimal number of servers. A model with two job types is analyzed exactly and the results are used to develop accurate approximations, which are then extended to more than two classes. Numerical examples and comparisons with simulations are presented.