Aggregation and Disaggregation in Queueing Networks: the Principle of Product-Form Synthesis

A critical view of exact aggregation as a means of performing parametric analysis of queueing networks is introduced. The use of the so-called 'reduced network' to obtain computational savings is shown to be unnecessary; exact aggregation is, however, proved to be a very powerful tool for making hierarchical system design (i. e. system synthesis) analytically possible. The concept of model 'disaggregation process' is then introduced and the sufficient conditions for its feasibility are given, with a computationally efficient disaggregation procedure.