Patent ID: 8104039

Claim:
A method for managing application workloads in a data processing system, comprising: establishing a reserve resource allocation of a data processing resource for exclusive use by a data processing application having a need to utilize said data processing resource; sharing a sharable portion of said data processing resource that is not part of said reserve resource allocation or otherwise utilized by said application and one or more other applications, said sharable portion of said data processing resource being sharable between said application and said one or more other applications; allowing said application to consume said reserve resource allocation when said application desires to increase its utilization of said data processing resource; and replenishing said reserve resource allocation as said application consumes said reserve resource allocation, said reserve resource allocation being replenished from said sharable portion of said data processing resource and from said one or more other applications if said reserve resource allocation cannot be replenished from said sharable portion of said data processing resource.