Intersecting two large research areas--numerical analysis and applied probability/quering theory--this book is a self -contained introduction to the numerical solution of structured Markov chains, which have a wide applicability in queueing theory and stochastic modeling. Aimed at graduates and researchers in numerical analysis, applied mathematics, probability, engineering and computer science it provides a thorough overview of the current literature. The book, consisting of nine chapters, is presented in three parts. Part 1 covers a basic description of the fundamental concepts related to...