Queueing analysis of polling models: Progress in 1990-1994

Polling models generally refer to systems of multiple queues served by nondedicated servers with rules that allocate the servers to the queues. The basic models consist of separate queues with independent Poisson inputs served by a single server in cyclic order. Significant progress in the analysis of these and extended systems, which began over thirty years ago, has enriched queueing theory as well as contributed to the system performance evaluation techniques in such fields as computers, communications, manufacturing, and transportation. This paper surveys research activities during recent years.