Selecting Incoming Entities

When a location becomes available and there is more than one entity waiting to enter, a decision must be made regarding which one to admit. The primary determining factor is the priority of the input routing. The entity with the highest routing priority will be admitted regardless of the incoming selection rule. However, if two or more entities have the same priority for claiming the location, then the location selects an incoming entity based on the incoming selection rules listed below.

Oldest by Priority Selects the entity waiting the longest among those having the highest routing priority.

Random Selects randomly with equal probability among all waiting entities.

Least Available Capacity Selects the entity coming from the location having the least available capacity. Ties are broken by the entity waiting the longest.

Last Selected Location Selects the entity coming from the location that was selected last. Ties are broken by the entity waiting the longest. If no entities are waiting at the last selected location, the Oldest by Priority rule takes effect.

Highest Attribute Value Selects the entity with the highest attribute value for a specified attribute. Ties are broken by the entity that has been waiting the longest. Location attributes are also valid entries.

Lowest Attribute Value Selects the entity which has the lowest attribute value for a specified attribute. Ties are broken by the entity waiting the longest. Location attributes are also valid entries.