Scheduling jobs on identical machines with agreement graph

We consider the following problem of scheduling with agreements: a set of jobs must be scheduled non-preemptively on identical machines subject to constraints that only some specific jobs can be scheduled concurrently on different machines. These constraints are represented by an agreement graph and the aim is to minimize the makespan. This problem is NP-hard. We study the complexity of the problem for two machines and arbitrary bipartite agreement graphs, in particular we prove the NP-hardness of the open problem proposed in the literature which is the case of two machines with processing times at most 3. We propose list algorithms with empirical results for the problem in the general case.     

Minimising makespan for two batch-processing machines with non-identical job sizes in job shop

In this article, the job shop scheduling problem with two batch-processing machines is considered. The machines have limited capacity and the jobs have non-identical job sizes. The jobs are processed in batches and the total size of each batch cannot exceed the machine capacity. The processing times of a job on the two machines are proportional. We show the problem of minimising makespan is NP-hard in the strong sense. Then we provide an approximation algorithm with worst-case ratio no more than 4, and the running time of the algorithm is O(n?log?n). Finally, the performance of the proposed algorithm is tested by different levels of instances. Computational results demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm for all the instances.     

A hybrid genetic heuristic for scheduling parallel batch processing machines with arbitrary job sizes

This paper investigates the scheduling problem of parallel identical batch processing machines in which each machine can process a group of jobs simultaneously as a batch. Each job is characterized by its size and processing time. The processing time of a batch is given by the longest processing time among all jobs in the batch. Based on developing heuristic approaches, we proposed a hybrid genetic heuristic (HGH) to minimize makespan objective. To verify the performance of our algorithm, comparisons are made through using a simulated annealing (SA) approach addressed in the literature as a comparator algorithm. Computational experiments reveal that affording the knowledge of problem through using heuristic procedures, gives HGH the ability of finding optimal or near optimal solutions in a reasonable time.     

A quadratic time algorithm to maximize the number of just-in-time jobs on identical parallel machines

In this paper, we study a scheduling problem on identical parallel machines, in which a processing time and a due date are given for each job, and the objective is to maximize the number of just-in-time jobs. A job is called just-in-time if it is completed exactly on its due date. We discuss the known results, show that a recently published greedy algorithm for this problem is incorrect, and present a new quadratic time algorithm which solves the problem.     

Scheduling unrelated parallel batch processing machines with non-identical job sizes

Scheduling unrelated parallel batch processing machines to minimize makespan is studied in this paper. Jobs with non-identical sizes are scheduled on batch processing machines that can process several jobs as a batch as long as the machine capacity is not violated. Several heuristics based on best fit longest processing time (BFLPT) in two groups are proposed to solve the problem. A lower bound is also proved to evaluate the quality of the heuristics. Computational experiments were undertaken. These showed that J_SC-BFLPT, considering both load balance of machines and job processing times, was robust and outperformed other heuristics for most of the problem categories.     

Minimizing total tardiness for scheduling identical parallel machines with family setups

This paper presents several procedures for scheduling identical parallel machines with family setups when the objective is to minimize total tardiness. These procedures are tested on several problem sets with varying numbers of families, jobs and machines, varying setup time distributions and various levels of due date tightness and variability. The results show that genetic algorithms are the most effective algorithms for the problem.     

不同容量平行机下差异工件尺寸的批调度算法

在容量不同的平行批处理机环境下, 针对工件带有不同尺寸和机器适用限制的最小化制造跨度的批调度问题, 提出一种有效的蚁群优化算法. 该算法基于解的浪费空间定义启发式信息, 针对机器容量约束提出两种用于构建解的候选集, 从而有效缩小搜索空间, 并引入局部优化方法提高解的质量. 仿真实验结果表明, 所提出算法具有较好的性能, 并且优于已有的其他算法.

     

Block models for scheduling jobs on two parallel machines with a single server

We consider the problem of scheduling a set of non-preemptable jobs on two identical parallel machines such that the makespan is minimized. Before processing, each job must be loaded on a machine, which takes a given setup time. All these setups have to be done by a single server which can handle at most one job at a time. For this problem, we propose a mixed integer linear programming formulation based on the idea of decomposing a schedule into a set of blocks. We compare the results obtained by the model suggested with known heuristics from the literature.     

Optimal semi-online algorithms for scheduling problems with reassignment on two identical machines

In this paper, we consider semi-online minimum makespan scheduling problem with reassignment on two identical machines. Two versions are discussed. In the first version, one can reassign the last job of one machine that is based on the problem proposed by Tan and Yu (2008) [1], in which case the last job of each machine is allowed to be reassigned. An optimal algorithm which has the same competitive ratio is presented. In the second version we consider the combination of the next two conditions: the total size of all jobs is known in advance and one can reassign the last job of one machine. For this problem an optimal algorithm with competitive ratio is also given.     

A genetic algorithm for minimizing maximum lateness on parallel identical batch processing machines with dynamic job arrivals and incompatible job families

We consider the problem of minimizing maximum lateness on parallel identical batch processing machines with dynamic job arrivals. We propose a family of iterative improvement heuristics based on previous work by Potts [Analysis of a heuristic for one machine sequencing with release dates and delivery times. Operations Research 1980;28:1436–41] and Uzsoy [Scheduling batch processing machines with incompatible job families. International Journal for Production Research 1995;33(10):2685–708] and combine them with a genetic algorithm (GA) based on the random keys encoding of Bean [Genetic algorithms and random keys for sequencing and optimization. ORSA Journal on Computing 1994;6(2):154–60]. Extensive computational experiments show that one of the proposed GAs runs significantly faster than the other, providing a good tradeoff between solution time and quality. The combination of iterative heuristics with GAs consistently outperforms the iterative heuristics on their own.     

Optimal online algorithm for scheduling on two identical machines with machine availability constraints

This paper considers the online scheduling on two identical machines with machine availability constraints for minimizing makespan. We assume that machine M_j is unavailable during period from s_j to t_j (0?s_j<t_j), j=1,2, and the unavailable periods of two machines do not overlap. We show the competitive ratio of List Scheduling is 3. We further give an optimal algorithm with a competitive ratio 5/2.     

Online scheduling on unbounded parallel-batch machines to minimize maximum flow-time

We consider online scheduling on m unbounded parallel-batch machines to minimize maximum flow-time of the jobs. We show that no online algorithm can have a competitive ratio less than 1+αm, where αm is the positive root of α²+(m+1)α−1=0, and this lower bound is still valid even when all jobs have the same processing times. Then we provide an online algorithm of competitive ratio 1+1/m. When the jobs have the same processing times, we present a best possible online algorithm of competitive ratio 1+αm.     

Scheduling unrelated parallel batch processing machines with non-identical job sizes and unequal ready times

This research analyzes the problem of scheduling a set of n jobs with arbitrary job sizes and non-zero ready times on a set of m unrelated parallel batch processing machines so as to minimize the makespan. Unrelated parallel machine is a generalization of the identical parallel processing machines and is closer to real-world production systems. Each machine can accommodate and process several jobs simultaneously as a batch as long as the machine capacity is not exceeded. The batch processing time and the batch ready time are respectively equal to the largest processing time and the largest ready time among all the jobs in the batch. Motivated by the computational complexity and the practical relevance of the problem, we present several heuristics based on first-fit and best-fit earliest job ready time rules. We also present a mixed integer programming model for the problem and a lower bound to evaluate the quality of the heuristics. The small computational effort of deterministic heuristics, which is valuable in some practical applications, is also one of the reasons that motivates this study. The results show that the heuristic proposed in this paper has a superior performance compared to the heuristics based on ideas proposed in the literature.     

Tabu search for scheduling on identical parallel machines to minimize mean tardiness

This paper presents a tabu search approach for scheduling jobs on identical parallel machines with the objective of minimizing the mean tardiness. Initially, we consider a basic tabu search that uses short term memory only. Local search is performed on a neighborhood defined by two types of moves. Insert moves consist of transferring each job from one machine to another and swap moves are those obtained by exchanging each pair of jobs between two machines. Next, we analyze the incorporation of two diversification strategies with the aim of exploring unvisited regions of the solution space. The first strategy uses long term memory to store the frequency of the moves executed throughout the search and the second makes use of influential moves. Computational tests are performed on problems with up to 10 machines and 150 jobs. The heuristic performance is evaluated through a lower bound given by Lagrangean relaxation. A comparison is also made with respect to the best constructive heuristic reported in the literature.     

A branch-and-bound algorithm to minimize total weighted completion time on identical parallel machines with job release dates

In this paper, we consider an identical parallel machine scheduling problem with release dates. The objective is to minimize the total weighted completion time. This problem is known to be strongly NP-hard. We propose some dominance properties and two lower bounds. We also present an efficient heuristic. A branch-and-bound algorithm, in which the heuristic, the lower bounds and the dominance properties are incorporated, is proposed and tested on a large set of randomly generated instances.     

带两个服务等级的3台机半在线算法

This paper studies a semi-online hierarchical scheduling problem on three identical machines. In the problem, there is only one machine with hierarchy 1 and two machines with hierarchy 2, and the goal is to minimize the makespan. When the total size of low-hierarchy is known, an online algorithm with the competitive ratio of 5/3 and the lower bound of 3/2 is given. When the total size of high-hierarchy is known, an online algorithm with the competitive ratio of 9/5 and the lower bound of 3/2 is given. When the total size of each hierarchy is known, an online algorithm with the competitive ratio of 3/2 and the lower bound of 4/3 is given. When the total size of jobs is known, a best possible online algorithm with the competitive ratio of 3/2 is given.