In this paper we consider the general birth-and-death queueing model of Natvig (1975). Define the input and output processes by the steady-state behaviour of respectively successive input and output intervals. Ignoring balking customers, two cases are considered. In the first case we treat a lost customer neither as an input nor as an output, then secondly as both. For both cases we show the input and output processes to be reverse processes. One mistake and two erroneous comments in Natvig (1975) are also corrected.

The steady-state input and output processes are considered for a birth-and-death queueing model with N waiting positions (0 ≦ N ≦ ∞), s servers (1 ≦ s ≦ ∞) and an arbitrary queueing discipline. Let an index n indicate that the quantity in question depends on the system state but not on time t. The instantaneous arrival rate is λ, the probability of balking (i.e., not trying to obtain service) being ξn. The instantaneous departure rate, μn, of customers having joined the system is the sum of the rate of service completions and the rate of defections before service completion. Three cases are considered. We start by ignoring balking customers; in the first case treating a lost customer neither as an input nor as an output, then secondly as both. Finally, balking and lost customers are considered both as inputs and outputs.

A general birth-and-death queueing model is considered with N waiting positions (0 ≦ N ≦ ∞), s servers (1 ≦ s ≦ ∞) and a first-come-first-served queueing discipline. The first and second order moments of the steady-state waiting-time (excluding service) for a non-lost arriving customer are given. By setting the busy period equal to the time where at least one service is in progress, we obtain the first and second order moments of the length of a busy period and also the distribution of the number served during it, given an arbitrary number of customers present originally. Using a direct approach all expressions are given in explicit forms which, although being far from elegant, are suitable for evaluation on a computer.

A continued fraction representation is presented of the Laplace transform of the generating function of the fundamental joint probability and density of busy period length measured in customers served and duration in time. The setting is the single server Erlang queueing system where the parameters of negative exponentially distributed arrival and service times have a general dependence on instantaneous system state.