Patent ID: 7376770

Claim:
A method of allocating resources in a data processing system that includes system memory and a plurality of different system images, each one of the plurality of system images independently executing an operating system, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of: maintaining a resource allocation matrix that defines respective amounts of total resources of a physical I/O adapter to be allocated to each one of the plurality of system images to use as a virtual adapter; evaluating the physical I/O adapter to determine if the adapter has sufficient adapter physical resources for respectively allocating a plurality of resource groups to each of the plurality of system images, wherein each resource group of the plurality of resource groups respectively comprises a portion of the adapter physical resources; and responsive to determining that the adapter has sufficient adapter physical resources, creating a plurality of different virtual adapters by respectively assigning each of the plurality of resource groups to one of the plurality of system images, wherein adapter physical resources of a resource group are exclusively available to a system image of the plurality of system images to which the resource group is assigned, and wherein each one of the plurality of virtual adapters is associated with one of the plurality of system images.