Patent ID: 7752415
Filing Date: 2010-07-06
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling capacity usage in a logically partitioned data processing system comprising physical data processing resources that are divided into multiple logical partitions, each of which has logical data processing resources that are mapped by a partition manager to said physical data processing resources and is capable of executing a different operating system, wherein usage of said physical data processing resources by said logical partitions is monitored to control consumption of said physical data processing resources, said method comprising the steps of: defining at least one group of said logical partitions that is managed towards a group capacity limit; collecting data on consumption of said physical data processing resources by the logical partitions in said at least one group; determining from said data whether the consumption of said physical data processing resources by a logical partition in the at least one group exceeds an individual capacity limit defined for that logical partition; and responsive to the consumption of said resources by said logical partition exceeding said individual capacity limit, assigning to the logical partition a share of the group capacity limit that is not being used by other logical partitions in said at least one group, even if another logical partition in the at least one group has not reached an individual capacity limit defined for that other logical partition, wherein the share of the group capacity limit for the logical partition is increased as a function of a total unused capacity for the at least one group and a share of the unused capacity for the logical partitions in the at least one group exceeding their individual capacity limits.