Optimal server assignment for a multiple customer classes problem

The problem of assigning identical servers to different customer classes with the objectives of optimizing customer service and resource utilization is analysed. The problem that motivated this research is the assignment of batch jobs in a computer centre running the operating system MVS (Multiple Virtual Storage). A mathematical formulation of the problem is presented and its computational complexity discussed. A new schema for the definition of customer classes and a heuristic for the assignment of servers to classes are developed and applied to the problem. Numerical results show the efficiency of the procedure as compared with other previously utilized methods. The final part of the paper presents the conclusions and recommendations for further research.