News flash: [Updated 1:00 pm PST] The preemptible Linux kernel patch that was originally introduced by MontaVista Software and more recently championed by Robert Love has been href=”http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.5/testing/patch-2.5.4.log” target=”_blank”>merged by Linus Torvalds into the main linux development-kernel tree, beginning version v2.5.4-pre6. This adds a far greater degree of real-time responsiveness to the standard Linux kernel, by reducing interrupt latencies while kernel functions are executing.

“The addition of kernel preemption to the 2.5 tree is a substantial feature which will provide benefit to a range of uses,” Love told LinuxDevices.com. “I'm happy to see the patch merged. It will be nice no longer having to keep the patch up-to-date, which has proved a bit of work in 2.5. I suspect, however, there is much work ahead now that preemption is integrated.”

“Further, this is just the beginning,” Love added. “We can now work on tackling problems with long-held locks and suboptimal algorithms that delay kernel preemption for too long. We are off to a nice start.”

As a result of this addition to the kernel, it will become possible to enable kernel preemptibility (to improve the real-time responsiveness of the Linux kernel) via a simple configuration setting when building the kernel, CONFIG_PREEMPT — much like enabling SMP, Love explained.

“I see a preemptible kernel as a means to an overall better system,” Love told LinuxDevices.com in an earlier interview. “Besides the traditional markets for low latency — audio/video, specialized embedded/real-time, etc. — a preemptive kernel can benefit any interactive task. The result is hopefully a smoother, more responsive, desktop,” he said.

That latest preempt patch can be downloaded here.

 
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