Description:
The purpose of this effort is to to further reduce interrupt latency and to dramatically reduce task preemption latency in the 2.6 kernel series. Our broad objective is to achieve preemption latency bounded by the worst case latencies down to tens of microseconds

Why Implement Preliminary Real-time Support in Linux?
Our objective is to enable the Linux 2.6 kernel to be usable for high-performance multi-media applications and for applications requiring very fast, task level reliable control functions.

The AV industry is building HDTV related technology on Linux, and desktop systems are increasingly used for similar applications.

Cell phones, PDAs and MP3 players are converging into highly integrated devices requiring a large number of threads. These threads support a vast array of communications protocols
(IP, Bluetooth, 802.11, GSM, CDMA, etc.). Especially the cellular-based protocols require highly deadline-sensitive operations to work reliably.

GPS processing, for example, requires hard real-time tasks and guaranteed KHz frequency interrupt processing. Linux-based remote controlled GPS stations at inaccessible or dangerous sites, like the inside of Mt. St. Helens, stream live data via IP.

Additionally, Linux is being increasingly utilized in traditional real-time control environments including radar processing, factory automation systems, "in the loop" process control systems, medical and instrumentation systems, and automotive control systems. Many times these systems have task level response requirements in the 10's to hundreds of microsecond ranges, which is a level of guaranteed task response not achievable with current 2.6 Linux technology.

Project Page:
http://source.mvista.com/linux_2_6_RT.html