Resource Allocation with a Probabilistic Amount of Resource

Abstract

The allocation problem of a limited resource under the probabilistic uncertainty over its amount is considered. The Principal has a certain amount of resources to be allocated by him/her among consumers (agents). Each agent submits the request for the resource to the Principal. The Principal allocates the resource in accordance with a specified resource allocation mechanism. In the theory of active systems, the priority-based resource allocation mechanisms were proposed and investigated. With these mechanisms, the resource is allocated proportionally to the values of the agent’s priority functions. Three types of the priority-based mechanisms were identified, namely, the mechanism of absolute priorities, the mechanism of straight priorities and the mechanism of reverse priorities. Previously, the priority-based mechanisms were considered under the assumption that the amount of available resource to be allocated by the Principal is known. However, in many real resource allocation problems arising in practice this amount is often unknown. In this paper, the priority-based mechanisms are studied for the case in which the agents know the Principal’s resource allocation function. The mechanisms of resource allocation based on the principle of reverse priorities are studied.