Patent ID: 8700752

Claim:
A computer-implemented method of optimizing a configuration of a plurality of logical partitions (LPARs) and a plurality of server computer systems (servers) that host the LPARs, said method comprising: a processor of a computer determining an optimal placement of an LPAR onto a target server, said LPAR included in said plurality of LPARs and being hosted on a current server, and said target server and said current server being different servers included in said plurality of servers, wherein said determining said optimal placement includes: said computer determining a plurality of shadow costs, each shadow cost being a shadow cost of migrating said LPAR from said current server to a respective server included in said plurality of servers, each shadow cost including an amount of a computing resource allocated to said LPAR multiplied by a cost per said computing resource in use on said respective server divided by an amount of said computing resource in use by said respective server; identifying a lowest shadow cost included in the plurality of shadow costs; determining a target server included in said plurality of servers to which a migration of said LPAR specifies said lowest shadow cost; and identifying said optimal placement as a placement of said LPAR onto said target server; and migrating one or more LPARs of said plurality of LPARs to one or more servers of said plurality of servers, wherein a result of said migrating is said LPAR being in said optimal placement.