Patent ID: 6957435

Claim:
A method for allocating processor resources in a computer system having a plurality of central processors, comprising the steps of: defining a plurality of logical partitions of said computer system, wherein each task executing in said computer system is assigned to a respective one of said logical partitions; defining a plurality of sets of processors; assigning each central processor of said computer system to a respective set of said plurality of processor sets; assigning each logical partition of said plurality of logical partitions to a respective set of said plurality of processor sets, wherein a first processor set of said plurality of processor sets has a plurality of logical partitions assigned to it; assigning a respective processing capacity value to each of said plurality of logical partitions assigned to said first processor set, said processing capacity values representing processing capacity in units equivalent to a fixed number of physical central processors; constraining tasks executing in each logical partition to execute only in central processors assigned to the processor set to which the respective logical partition is assigned; and constraining tasks executing in said each logical partition assigned to said first processor set to execute for a combined length of time equivalent to the processing capacity value assigned to the respective logical partition.