Abstract: A computer implemented method includes identifying a hardware input/output adapter in a first physical slot location. The computer implemented method includes determining that the hardware input/output adapter is capable of hosting a plurality of virtual functions in the first physical slot location. The computer implemented method also includes selecting a group identifier that is unassociated with another physical slot location. The computer implemented method includes associating the group identifier with the first physical slot location of the hardware input/output adapter.

Abstract: A vendor-independent resource configuration interface automatically maps virtual functions to physical functions in a self-virtualizing IO resource using the concept of a logical port that maps to a particular physical port and protocol in the self-virtualizing IO resource. A user wishing to provide a logical partition access to a self-virtualizing IO resource typically creates or configures a logical port for the logical partition by mapping the logical port to a particular physical port and protocol defined for the self-virtualizing IO resource, and an appropriate virtual function mapped to an appropriate physical function on an appropriate self-virtualizing IO resource is automatically selected, typically without requiring the user to have a detailed understanding of the numbers of supported virtual functions, physical functions and protocols supported by specific resources.

Abstract: Automated management of partition service assignment to a virtual input/output (VIO) adapter is provided. Responsive to creation of a new partition service in a data processing system, a partition priority number is determined for the new partition service, and, for each VIO adapter, the partition priority numbers of the partition services currently assigned to that VIO adapter are summed. For a VIO adapter with a lowest sum of partition priority numbers, logic determines whether assigning the new partition service to that VIO adapter results in its summed partition priority number being above a predefined threshold, and the new partition service is assigned to a VIO adapter based, at least in part, on whether assigning the new partition service to the VIO adapter with the lowest sum of partition priority numbers results in that VIO adapter's summed partition priority number exceeding the predefined threshold.

Abstract: Automated management of partition service assignment to a virtual input/output (VIO) adapter is provided. Responsive to creation of a new partition service in a data processing system, a partition priority number is determined for the new partition service, and, for each VIO adapter, the partition priority numbers of the partition services currently assigned to that VIO adapter are summed. For a VIO adapter with a lowest sum of partition priority numbers, logic determines whether assigning the new partition service to that VIO adapter results in its summed partition priority number being above a predefined threshold, and the new partition service is assigned to a VIO adapter based, at least in part, on whether assigning the new partition service to the VIO adapter with the lowest sum of partition priority numbers results in that VIO adapter's summed partition priority number exceeding the predefined threshold.

Abstract: Automated paging device management is provided for a shared memory partition data processing system. The automated approach includes managing a paging storage pool defined within one or more storage devices for holding logical memory pages external to physical memory managed by a hypervisor of the processing system. The managing includes: responsive to creation of a logical partition within the processing system, automatically defining a logical volume in the paging storage pool for use as a paging device for the new logical partition, the automatically defining occurring absent use of a filesystem, with the resultant paging device being other than a file in a filesystem; and automatically specifying the logical volume as a paging space device for the new logical partition and binding the paging space device to the new logical partition, wherein the logical volume is sized to accommodate a defined maximum memory size of the new logical partition.

Abstract: Automated management of partition service assignment to a virtual input/output (VIO) adapter is provided. Responsive to creation of a new partition service in a data processing system, a partition priority number is determined for the new partition service, and, for each VIO adapter, the partition priority numbers of the partition services currently assigned to that VIO adapter are summed. For a VIO adapter with a lowest sum of partition priority numbers, logic determines whether assigning the new partition service to that VIO adapter results in its summed partition priority number being above a predefined threshold, and the new partition service is assigned to a VIO adapter based, at least in part, on whether assigning the new partition service to the VIO adapter with the lowest sum of partition priority numbers results in that VIO adapter's summed partition priority number exceeding the predefined threshold.

Abstract: A computer implemented method includes identifying a hardware input/output adapter in a first physical slot location. The computer implemented method includes determining that the hardware input/output adapter is capable of hosting a plurality of virtual functions in the first physical slot location. The computer implemented method also includes selecting a group identifier that is unassociated with another physical slot location. The computer implemented method includes associating the group identifier with the first physical slot location of the hardware input/output adapter.

Abstract: A vendor independent interface is provided between a hypervisor and an adjunct partition associated with a self-virtualizing IO resource to effectively abstract away vendor-specific interface details for the self-virtualizing IO resource and its adjunct partition. By doing so, vendor-specific implementation details may be isolated from the configuration and management functionality in a hypervisor, thus minimizing the changes to vendor specific firmware in order to manage new or revised self-virtualizing IO resources.

Abstract: Automated paging device management is provided for a shared memory partition data processing system. The automated approach includes managing a paging storage pool defined within one or more storage devices for holding logical memory pages external to physical memory managed by a hypervisor of the processing system. The managing includes: responsive to creation of a logical partition within the processing system, automatically defining a logical volume in the paging storage pool for use as a paging device for the new logical partition, the automatically defining occurring absent use of a filesystem, with the resultant paging device being other than a file in a filesystem; and automatically specifying the logical volume as a paging space device for the new logical partition and binding the paging space device to the new logical partition, wherein the logical volume is sized to accommodate a defined maximum memory size of the new logical partition.

Abstract: Migrating a logical partition (LPAR) from a first physical port to a first target physical port, includes determining a configuration of an LPAR having allocated resources residing on a computer and assigned to the first physical port of the computer. The configuration includes a label that specifies a network topology that is provided by the first physical port and the first target physical port has a port label that matches the label included in the configuration of the LPAR. The first target physical port with available capacity to service the LPAR is identified and the LPAR is migrated from the first physical port to the target physical port by reassigning the LPAR to the first target physical port.

Abstract: A method for avatar wandering in a computer based interactive environment including for each avatar within a range of a current avatar, obtaining profiles of a user represented by the avatar, for each profile of the user represented by the avatar that has a same profile type as a profile of a user represented by the current avatar, comparing the profiles for matching data, computing a match score for the avatar based on the matching data, and moving the current avatar toward the avatar that has a greatest match score.

Abstract: Automated paging device management is provided for a shared memory partition data processing system. The automated approach includes managing a paging storage pool defined within one or more storage devices for holding logical memory pages external to physical memory managed by a hypervisor of the processing system. The managing includes: responsive to creation of a logical partition within the processing system, automatically defining a logical volume in the paging storage pool for use as a paging device for the new logical partition, the automatically defining occurring absent use of a filesystem, with the resultant paging device being other than a file in a filesystem; and automatically specifying the logical volume as a paging space device for the new logical partition and binding the paging space device to the new logical partition, wherein the logical volume is sized to accommodate a defined maximum memory size of the new logical partition.

Abstract: Automatically completing a GUI task. Exemplary embodiments a method including providing a user configurable auto-completion application operating in the background of a computer operating system and executing on a computing device, the auto-completion application monitoring and archiving user activities, wherein certain actions by the user are parsed and indexed, analyzing the parsed and indexed actions of the user to determine at least one of relationships, user interactions, user statistics, various states of the user's actions over time, and images or video of the user's interaction to create an index of the user's typical interactions with the system and providing a fast-forward functionality based on the index such that a tree structure is presented to the user on a display device of the computing device, the tree structure indicating the user's current state in the system and one or more future states the user typically takes based on a past act.

Abstract: A method, apparatus, and program product for managing partitionable resources in a logically partitioned computing system is disclosed. The method includes associating each of a plurality of partitionable resources in the logically partitioned computing system with a respective file entry in a virtual file system, associating each of a plurality of partitionable resources in the logically partitioned computing system with a respective file entry in a virtual file system, and allocating a first partitionable resource among the plurality of partitionable resources to a first logical partition among the plurality of logical partitions in response to a file system operation directed to the virtual file system to organize a respective file entry for the first partitionable resource within the respective directory for the first logical partition.

Abstract: A method of reallocating memory to a hypervisor in a virtualized computing system, includes: assigning priorities to a plurality of logical partitions configured within the virtualized computing system; determining a memory requirement for the hypervisor, the hypervisor configured to manage the plurality of logical partitions; determining minimum levels of memory required for each of the plurality of logical partitions; determining the amount of available memory in the virtualized computing system; and in the event that the amount of available memory is less than the determined memory requirement of the hypervisor, removing portions of memory from one or more of the plurality of logical partitions based on the assigned priorities until the determined memory requirement for the hypervisor is obtained.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus associate a computed difference factor to avatars that are to interact with one another in a simulated environment. Applying a difference factor to the avatars enables identification of similar avatars in order to avoid mistaken identities among the avatars. The difference factor predicts probability that one avatar is mimicking another avatar. An attribute uniqueness algorithm may assign the difference factor based on name, appearance, and/or accessory similarity between two avatars. A user index may be used to store data describing attributes of each avatar for analysis using programs that are stored in memory and that execute the attribute uniqueness algorithm. Further, system validation of each avatar provides ability to protect and control likeness of the avatars in the virtual world.

Abstract: A method for avatar wandering in a computer based interactive environment including for each avatar within a range of a current avatar, obtaining profiles of a user represented by the avatar, for each profile of the user represented by the avatar that has a same profile type as a profile of a user represented by the current avatar, comparing the profiles for matching data, computing a match score for the avatar based on the matching data, and moving the current avatar toward the avatar that has a greatest match score.

Abstract: Automated management of partition service assignment to a virtual input/output (VIO) adapter is provided. Responsive to creation of a new partition service in a data processing system, a partition priority number is determined for the new partition service, and, for each VIO adapter, the partition priority numbers of the partition services currently assigned to that VIO adapter are summed. For a VIO adapter with a lowest sum of partition priority numbers, logic determines whether assigning the new partition service to that VIO adapter results in its summed partition priority number being above a predefined threshold, and the new partition service is assigned to a VIO adapter based, at least in part, on whether assigning the new partition service to the VIO adapter with the lowest sum of partition priority numbers results in that VIO adapter's summed partition priority number exceeding the predefined threshold.

Abstract: Automated paging device management is provided for a shared memory partition data processing system. The automated approach includes managing a paging storage pool defined within one or more storage devices for holding logical memory pages external to physical memory managed by a hypervisor of the processing system. The managing includes: responsive to creation of a logical partition within the processing system, automatically defining a logical volume in the paging storage pool for use as a paging device for the new logical partition, the automatically defining occurring absent use of a filesystem, with the resultant paging device being other than a file in a filesystem; and automatically specifying the logical volume as a paging space device for the new logical partition and binding the paging space device to the new logical partition, wherein the logical volume is sized to accommodate a defined maximum memory size of the new logical partition.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a method for distributing data from within a virtual world to multiple hosts. In one embodiment, primary areas within the virtual world may be hosted on servers controlled by the provider of the virtual world. At the same time, some areas within the virtual world may be controlled by a second party and hosted by a secondary server. In the virtual environment, an interface may be provided to access the area controlled by the second party.