NUMA PAGE SELECTION USING COLORING

A method of efficiently increasing intra-nodal page allocations and increasing processor cache utilization in a multiprocessing environment is provided. Each physical page of memory is identified and organized according to the page color as well as the nodal identifier. The organization process places each of the pages into a logical data structure. Both the identification and organization steps allow the system to properly select a page based upon both page color and nodal locale. In addition, the selection process updates the preferred page color for a subsequent page allocation. Accordingly, the method of identifying and organizing each page of memory enables an application to efficiently select pages with good processor cache distribution.