LinuxDevices: Linux Gets Real (-time)

“Metrowerks Senior Software Engineer and veteran real-time
programmer Bernhard Kuhn has created a Linux kernel patch that he
claims enables hard, real-time performance in the Linux kernel by
adding priorities to interrupts and spinlocks. Kuhn believes his
approach to be more ‘natural’ and akin to traditional real-time
operating systems (RTOSs) than the dual-kernel approach taken by
real-time projects such as RTAI and RTLinux, and he is hopeful that
his patch might one day win enough interest and support to become
part of the official Linux kernel tree.

“Kuhn announced the patch today in a post to the Linux kernel
mailing list, the rtai-dev mailing list, and the Consumer
Electronics Linux Forum’s member list, among other places. The
patch was completed during several ‘breakthrough’ days over the
holiday breaks, according to Kuhn, but represents years of work on
Kuhn’s part toward a Linux kernel capable of supporting real-time
interrupts…”

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