Queueing networks and product forms

the long version

Queueing networks are increasingly used as a tool to evaluate the performance of stochastic service systems such as those arising in various industries. This book, the first presentation and survey of its kind, aims to provide simple, practical insights by which both researchers and practitioners may benefit in enabling them to recognize when closed form expressions can be expected for steady state probabilities. In particular, it shows how these same insights can be used to develop simple bounds for systems that are non-solvable when practical features are taken into account. The presentation is both intuitive and formal and richly illustrated by numerous examples motivated by the above application areas. Its clear style and instructive presentation make this book suitable not only as a textbook for students and researchers but also as a practical guide for professionals.