Patent ID: 7698529

Claim:
In a data processing system configured to include multiple logical partitions, wherein resources of said system are selectively allocated among respective partitions, a method comprising the steps of: assigning a resource locality level included in a range of said levels to each resource of a partition, wherein the resource locality level assigned to a given resource of a partition comprises a comparative measure of how close or remote the given resource is, with respect to its partition; evaluating the allocation of resources to each of said partitions at a particular time, in order to select a partition having at least one resource that is determined to be of low desirability due to its level of locality with respect to said selected partition; identifying each of the other partitions that has a resource matching said resource of low desirability; determining the overall benefit of said system that would result from trading said resource of low desirability for the matching resource of each of said identified partitions; and reallocating said resources to trade said resource of low desirability for the matching resource of the identified partition that is determined to provide the greatest overall benefit for said system, provided that at least some overall system benefit will result from said reallocation.