Abstract: The present invention provides a computer implemented method and apparatus to assign software threads to a common virtual processor of a data processing system having multiple virtual processors. A data processing system detects cooperation between a first thread and a second thread with respect to a lock associated with a resource of the data processing system. Responsive to detecting cooperation, the data processing system assigns the first thread to the common virtual processor. The data processing system moves the second thread to the common virtual processor, whereby a sleep time associated with the lock experienced by the first thread and the second thread is reduced below a sleep time experienced prior to the detecting cooperation step.

Abstract: The present invention provides a computer implemented method and apparatus to assign software threads to a common virtual processor of a data processing system having multiple virtual processors. A data processing system detects cooperation between a first thread and a second thread with respect to a lock associated with a resource of the data processing system. Responsive to detecting cooperation, the data processing system assigns the first thread to the common virtual processor. The data processing system moves the second thread to the common virtual processor, whereby a sleep time associated with the lock experienced by the first thread and the second thread is reduced below a sleep time experienced prior to the detecting cooperation step.

Abstract: The present invention provides a computer implemented method and apparatus to assign software threads to a common virtual processor of a data processing system having multiple virtual processors. A data processing system detects cooperation between a first thread and a second thread with respect to a lock associated with a resource of the data processing system. Responsive to detecting cooperation, the data processing system assigns the first thread to the common virtual processor. The data processing system moves the second thread to the common virtual processor, whereby a sleep time associated with the lock experienced by the first thread and the second thread is reduced below a sleep time experienced prior to the detecting cooperation step.

Abstract: The present invention thus provides for a method, system, and computer-usable medium that afford an equitably charging of a customer for computer usage time. In a preferred embodiment, the method includes the steps of: tracking an amount of computer resources in a Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) computer that are available to a customer for a specified period of time; determining if the computer resources in the SMT computer are operating at a nominal rate; and in response to determining that the computer resources are operating at a non-nominal rate, adjusting a billing charge to the customer, wherein the billing charge reflects that the customer has available computer resources, in the SMT computer, that are not operating at the nominal rate during the specified period of time.

Abstract: Program product for an application programming interface that unifies a plurality of mechanisms into a single framework. The interface includes a mechanism for communicating between members of a process group of related processes, and a mechanism for synchronizing the related processes of the process group. Additionally, the application programming interface may include mechanisms for managing membership of the process group or a processor group of processors, and/or a mechanism for controlling a group state value for the process group.

Abstract: A method for serializing access to computer system resources without disabling interrupts in critical code sections or requiring excessive use of spin locks. A queue lock is introduced that allows an interrupt process to enqueue and be processed in turn without a spin lock and to block process code access to a particular resource until all interrupts are processed. Process level code is blocked from accessing a locked resource while requests for accesses from interrupt level code are queued in a deferred work queue which is processed prior to the release of the blocking lock. Establishment of deferred work queue means that processing can continue without disablement of interrupts and without significant overhead consumed by processes holding spin locks.

Abstract: A method for memory management and block paging in a control program that controls the execution of tasks on behalf of a plurality of system computing entities, which selects, transfers blocks of data, such as pages, between storage and memory to maintain in memory only those blocks of data necessary for current system processing requirements. Pages in memory are first identified as not referenced within a preceding time period, for example, since the last examination by a core table scan mechanism, on a system wide basis. Pages so identified are then grouped into blocks of pages used by a computing entity and then transferred to storage for later retrieval as a set when any one of the pages in the set is required by the system. Pages not referenced while resident are made available for paging to memory individually. Block paging achieves a significant reduction in the system overhead associated with memory management, as compared with prior art paging mechanisms.