Patent ID: 7421691

Claim:
A method of scaling a performance of a data processing system having a plurality of processors, the data processing system being capable of running in one or more configurations each including at least one of the processors, the method comprising: obtaining a predetermined level of performance for use with the data processing system, the predetermined level of performance specifying a maximum number of instructions to be executed per unit time by the data processing system as a whole without restriction with respect to which of the processors may be used to achieve the predetermined level of performance for the data processing system; configuring the data processing system to run in a selected one of the configurations; determining a peak performance level provided collectively by the processors included within the selected configuration; deriving a scaling factor that is equal to the predetermined level of performance divided by the peak performance level; and scaling a performance of each of the processors included within the selected configuration by the scaling factor so that the data processing system as a whole delivers up to the predetermined level of performance.