Dynamic core allocation

A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for updating a core allocation among a plurality of threads of a gateway datapath that executes on a gateway computing device comprising a plurality of cores, the program for execution by a set of processing units of the gateway computing device, the program comprising sets of instructions for:

• based on a set of data regarding usage of the plurality of cores during a first core allocation that allocates (i) a first set of cores to data message processing threads of the gateway datapath and (ii) a second set of cores to additional gateway datapath threads, determining a second core allocation that allocates (i) a third set of cores to the data message processing threads of the gateway datapath and (ii) a fourth set of cores to the additional gateway datapath threads, wherein the third set of cores has a different number of cores than the first set of cores and the fourth set of cores has a different number of cores than the second set of cores;
• updating a load balancing operation to load balance received data messages over the third set of cores rather than the first set of cores;
• and
• reallocating the plurality of cores from the first core allocation to the second core allocation,
• wherein each core in a fifth set of cores is assigned a different one of the data message processing threads of the gateway datapath, the fifth set of cores comprising (i) each core in the first set of cores and at least a subset of cores in the second set of cores and (ii) each core in the third set of cores and at least a subset of cores in the fourth set of cores, wherein the data message processing threads assigned to cores in the second set of cores are inactive during the first core allocation and the data message processing threads assigned to cores in the fourth set of cores are inactive during the second core allocation.