Consider an M/G/1 queue with ρ=λES<1. Here λ is the arrival rate and ES is the mean service time. Prove that in equilibrium, the customer's waiting time W has the moment-generating function MW(t)=EetW given by
MW(t)=t+λ(1−MS(t))(1−ρ)t
where MS(t)=EetS is the moment-generating function of service time S.
[You may assume that in equilibrium, the M/G/1 queue size X at the time immediately after the customer's departure has the probability generating function
EzX=MS(λ(z−1))−z(1−ρ)(1−z)MS(λ(z−1)),0⩽z<1.]
Deduce that when the service times are exponential of rate μ then
MW(t)=1−ρ+μ−λ−tλ(1−ρ),−∞<t<μ−λ.
Further, deduce that W takes value 0 with probability 1−ρ and that
P(W>x∣W>0)=e−(μ−λ)x,x>0.
Sketch the graph of P(W>x) as a function of x.
Now consider the M/G/1 queue in the heavy traffic approximation, when the service-time distribution is kept fixed and the arrival rate λ→1/ES, so that ρ→1. Assuming that the second moment ES2<∞, check that the limiting distribution of the re-scaled waiting time W~λ=(1−λES)W is exponential, with rate 2ES/ES2.