SPN2MGM: tool support for matrix-geometric stochastic Petri nets

In this paper we present the tool SPN2MGM that can be used to construct and solve stochastic Petri nets using matrix-geometric techniques. The tool automatically recognizes the "matrix-geometric structure" of the Markov chain underlying the stochastic Petri net, and solves the Markov chain with these well-known and efficient techniques. We informally characterize the class of stochastic Petri nets of interest (a formal definition has been given in an earlier paper) after which we briefly touch upon the matrix-geometric solution approach. We then present an overview of SPN2MGM by discussing the model class supported and the internal methods used. We finish the paper with a case study in the area of queues with breakdowns. In particular, we present a model of a queueing system in which checkpointing can be used to shorten the recovery process after server-breakdowns have occurred.