Patent ID: 8024738

Claim:
A computer implemented method for managing processor cycles, the computer implemented method comprising: determining whether unused processor cycles of a logically micro-partitioned processor are present in a dispatch window after all capped micro-partitions and uncapped micro-partitions within the logically micro-partitioned processor have received their respective entitlement of processor cycles; responsive to a determination that unused processor cycles are present in the dispatch window, identifying a set of uncapped micro-partitions that are ready to be re-dispatched during the dispatch window from a list of all the uncapped micro-partitions within the logically micro-partitioned processor to form an identified set of micro-partitions; calculating an average entitlement usage score for each micro-partition in the identified set of micro-partitions over a predefined plurality of previous dispatch window cycles; identifying a number of candidate micro-partitions from the identified set of micro-partitions based on the average entitlement usage score calculated for each micro-partition in the identified set of micro-partitions, wherein the average entitlement usage score is greater than or equal to a threshold to identify the number of candidate micro-partitions; selecting a micro-partition from the number of candidate micro-partitions based on a lottery process of the candidate micro-partitions; dispatching the micro-partition selected from the number of candidate micro-partitions based on the lottery process to consume the unused processor cycles present in the dispatch window; and determining whether additional unused processor cycles are still present in the dispatch window after the dispatching of the micro-partition selected from the number of candidate micro-partitions based on the lottery process.