FSMLabs has released a version of its free real-time Linux operating system that adds support for 2.6-series Linux kernels. RTLinuxFree for 2.6 provides real-time POSIX threads, interrupt handlers, synchronization methods, and communications mechanisms between real- and non-real-time applications, the company says.

FSMLabs's commercial real-time Linux product has supported 2.6-series kernels for some time, and the company says technology from RTLinuxPro went into enabling 2.6 support in the free version.

Linux 2.6 support in RTLinuxFree was implemented by OS3 Valencia, a systems development company operating in Spain and Portugal. OS3 spun off from the EU's RTLinuxFree OCERA (Open source Components for Embedded Real-time Applications) project, according to FSMLabs. OS3 became an authorized FSMLabs technology partner in November of 2003.

FSMLabs CEO Victor Yodaiken said, “RTLinux began as an academic research project and flourished as RTLinuxFree spread world wide. When FSMLabs turned to focus on our RTLinuxPro and RTCore BSD products, the burden of RTLinux Free support was taken up by a vigorous and inventive international community of researchers, students, and commercial free software developers. It is gratifying that FSMLabs has grown enough that we are again able to invest some resources in RTLinuxFree. It is doubly gratifying to be able to work with OS3, one of the first commercial spin-off's from OCERA.”

Pau Mendoza, of OS3 Valencia, said, “RTLinuxFree developers are primarily focused on building embedded/real-time applications, not on kernel hacking. To support this global free software community, FSMLabs and OS3 stepped in to update RTLinux kernel support and other capabilities.”

According to FSMLabs, both free and commercial versions of RTLinux virtualize the hardware interface, enabling a hard real-time kernel to run on top of Linux. The real-time kernel offers hardware-level event response and period scheduling, for hard real-time performance, FSMLabs says.

Availability

RTLinuxFree 3.1 is available now for download from the project website. It is a community-supported platform licensed under the GPL and the FSMLabs Open Patent License.

OS3 Valencia and other project members anticipate a follow-on 3.2 release in the near future to incorporate changes and additions from the OCERA consortium.

 
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