Bounds on the Optimal Operating Policy for a Class of Single-Server Queues

We consider the economic behavior of a single-channel queuing system operating with the following cost structure: a server start-up cost, a server shut-down cost, a cost per unit time when the server is turned off, a cost per unit time when the server is turned on, and a holding cost per unit time spent in the system for each customer. For the undiscounted, infinite-horizon problem, bounds are obtained for the cost rate and optimal policy when the interarrival time distribution is a member of the class of increasing-failure-rate distributions. Some of the bounds hold for all interarrival-time distributions.