A collaborative project that aims to integrate real-time features directly into the Linux kernel, making them a standard part of the operating system.
Maximize Efficiency With Real-Time Linux
While traditional Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) are designed specifically for real-time applications, often sacrificing general-purpose functionality, RT Linux aims to bridge the gap by adding real-time capabilities to a versatile, general-purpose OS. This approach allows users to run a wide range of applications alongside real-time tasks, leveraging the extensive ecosystem of Linux software and drivers.
Real-Time Linux does not mean fast Linux.
How Real-Time Linux Works
Real-Time Linux is enabled via a configuration setting in the upstream Linux kernel. This configuration enables a fully preemptible scheduler, meaning a high-priority task can interrupt a lower-priority one, and by minimizing areas where interrupts are disabled. This ensures that critical tasks execute more consistently and predictably.
The primary goal of RT Linux is to minimize latency and jitter, providing more predictable task execution times crucial for time-sensitive applications. Jitter is the variation in task execution times.
The goals of the Real-Time Linux Project are to support users of RT Linux through documentation and system optimization guides, deliver robust performance through test automation, ensure RT Linux is well supported in upstream, and facilitate development roadmaps, in coordination with the broader community.