MontaVista claims its latest embedded Linux release breaks “all barriers” in real-time performance, making it suitable for traditional RTOS (real-time OS) applications like industrial automation, communications, machine control, medical, and navigation equipment. In benchmarks, Pro 5.0 reportedly delivered sub-30 microsecond response times on a stressed, loaded 2GHz Pentium M-based system.

MontaVista launched version 5.0 of its MontaVista Linux Professional Edition (“Pro 5.0”) embedded Linux distribution earlier this month at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, Calif. Based on the more real-time capable 2.6.18 kernel, the release folds in multiple incremental responsivity improvements that collectively free developers from needing to choose between a predictable, rapid RTOS and the greater flexibility and faster product development times of Linux, according to MontaVista.

MontaVista benchmarked Pro 5.0 in both kernel and user contexts, on a system powered by a 2GHz Pentium M system that was “fully loaded and stressed” using the Linux Test Project's ltpstress package, which is said to exercise “most of the system calls in the Linux OS.” The worst measured response “from interrupt to a user space application” was reportedly 26 microseconds. The user space tests used the high-res-timer API, “and specifically the clock_nanosleep(), a high resolution sleep API,” MontaVista said.

According to MontaVista CTO (and RTOS technology pioneer) Jim Ready, “Proprietary RTOSes do not offer the faster time to market and flexible capabilities needed today. Application developers can now have the best of both worlds, with benefits of commercial Linux and the proven real-time enhancements of MontaVista Linux.”

Steve Balacco, director of analyst firm VDC's embedded software research practice, stated, “MontaVista Software continues to demonstrate market leadership in extending the real-time capabilities of Linux. This success is validated by the millions of end-user devices now running MontaVista Linux and its widened range of support for silicon and hardware to more than 70 processors and 230 boards.”

Further details on MontaVista's Pro 5.0 distribution are available from our prior coverage of its release earlier this month.

 
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