PREEMPT RT explained

PREEMPT_RT is a set of patches for the Linux kernel which implement real-time computing capabilities. It has not been merged into mainline Linux as of .^[1]

History

The PREEMPT_RT patchset is being developed since 2005.^[2] In 2021, the preemption core locking code was merged.^{[3] [4]}

Since February 2023, Canonical has been releasing real-time versions of Ubuntu.^{[5] [6]} The real-time kernel can be added to various existing Ubuntu releases through an enablement process. These kernels include the PREEMPT_RT patchset and offer long-term support.

MontaVista Software has been releasing a real-time Linux distribution containing the PREEMPT_RT patchset since the early 2000. Montavista's current main embedded Linux product, CGX, contains real-time preemption as a standard feature.

Notes and References

1. Web site: The real realtime preemption end game . 2023-11-16 . LWN.net.
2. Reghenzani . Federico . Massari . Giuseppe . Fornaciari . William . 2019-02-21 . The Real-Time Linux Kernel: A Survey on PREEMPT_RT . ACM Computing Surveys . 52 . 1 . 18:1–18:36 . 10.1145/3297714 . 0360-0300. 11311/1076057 . free .
3. Web site: Realtime preemption locking core merged [LWN.net] ]. 2023-02-09 . lwn.net.
4. Web site: The future of realtime Linux . 2023-02-09 . LWN.net.
5. Web site: Proven . Liam . Real-time Ubuntu 22.04: What you need to know . 2023-02-20 . . en.
6. Web site: Canonical releases Real-time Ubuntu 24.04 LTS . 2024-07-03 . Ubuntu . en.