Patent ID: 8908690

Claim:
A computer implemented method for addressing a workload partition (WPAR), the computer implemented method comprising: receiving, from a second data processing system, a packet of data at a software stack executing in a data processing system, the packet being directed to the WPAR executing in the data processing system, the packet including a combined address, wherein the combined address combines a first part to identify the data processing system to the second data processing system over a data network and a second part to identify the WPAR executing in the data processing system, wherein the first part and the second part are separated in the combined address using a delimiter character; determining whether the combined address includes an identifier that is reserved, wherein when a predetermined function is to be performed at the data processing system, the combined address in the packet stores the identifier that is reserved, the identifier corresponding to the function; using the identifier to identify the WPAR in the data processing system when the identifier is not reserved; and sending the packet to the WPAR.