Operations Research· 2026Q1
Online Reusable Resource Allocations with Multi-class Arrivals
- 5citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
A novel online algorithm achieves the best possible competitive ratio for reusable resource allocation with divisible usage durations, and at least half the optimum for general durations.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Proposes a simple online algorithm for reusable resource allocation with multi-class arrivals.
- Achieves the best possible competitive ratio when usage durations are divisible.
- Uses a novel Auxiliary Algorithm to prove the competitive ratio by constructing a feasible linear program solution.
- Extends to general durations and advance booking problems, achieving at least half the optimal value.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
In this paper, we study an adversarial online reusable resource allocation problemwith multi-class arrivals, where each class is associated with its price per unit time and usage duration. Each unit of resource will be returned after the usage duration of the class of customer that the unit has been allocated to. We propose a simple online algorithmwhich achieve the best possible competitive ratio among all online policies when the usage durations of any two classes are divisible. Its competitive ratio is proved using a novel Auxiliary Algorithm that constructs a feasible solution to a linear program that upper bounds the optimum. We show that our policy can be extended to the case of general durations and the advance booking problem where each usage duration only starts after an arbitrary period. We show that our policy achieves at least half of the optimal when the durations are general, and for advance booking with equal usage durations.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Operations Research, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Computer Networks and Communications
Computer Networks and CommunicationsComputer Science