Group service system with three queues and load balancing

Abstract A group service system for three queues is considered. At each time t = 1, 2, . . ., with some probability, a customer enters the system, selects randomly two queues, and goes to the shorter one. At each moment such that there is at least one customer in each queue, each queue performs instantly the service of one customer. By means of Lyapunov functions, a criterion for the ergodicity of the Markov chain corresponding to this queuing system is established. The limiting joint distribution of queue lengths is found, and the connection with the problem of balanced allocations of particles into cells is described. In the corresponding problem of balanced allocation of particles, the limiting distribution of the range is found, i. e. the difference between the maximal and minimal numbers of particles in cells.