Patent ID: 8352702

Claim:
In a data processing system including at least two logical partitions, a method of moving a specific memory quantity between two logical partitions comprising: computing a threshold amount based upon the specific memory quantity to be moved, wherein the threshold amount is computed by multiplying the specific memory quantity by a predetermined fraction that is less than 1 but greater than 0 and determining if a minimum memory transfer unit amount is greater than the threshold amount, and if so, setting the threshold amount to the minimum memory transfer unit amount; if the specific memory quantity is less than the threshold amount, removing the threshold amount from memory assigned in the first logical partition and adding the threshold amount to memory assigned in the second logical partition, and if the specific memory quantity is greater than the threshold amount, removing an amount equal to the threshold amount from memory assigned in the first logical partition and adding that threshold amount to memory assigned in the second logical partition and repeating the removing and adding operations until the specific memory quantity has been transferred.