On reversibility of tandem queues with blocking

The authors study the effect of the order of service stations on the departure process in a tandem system with finite buffers and blocking. A reversibility result for a two-station system with various types of blocking mechanisms has been shown before. The authors show that a similar result holds for a three-station tandem system with no buffers between stations and a so-called communication type of blocking. A general conjecture is stated regarding the reversibility of tandem systems with finite buffers and blocking.