Real-time Ubuntu

Real-time Ubuntu is Ubuntu with a real-time kernel.

Ubuntu’s real-time kernel includes the PREEMPT_RT patchset. It changes Linux’s default scheduler to a priority-based one, increasing predictability by modifying the existing kernel code. Real-time Ubuntu is more pre-emptive than mainline, delivering determinism and lower latency.

Stringent applications have mission-critical latency requirements and must ensure high-priority processes are executed first, with deterministic response times. Real-time Ubuntu provides an upper bound on execution time, to the most demanding workloads in industrial, telco, automotive, and robotics applications.

From assembly lines processing and delivering data in real-time to ensure system integrity to critical telco infrastructure operating at low latency for continuous production, the most exacting applications run on Real-time Ubuntu.

In this documentation

Tutorial

Start here: a hands-on introduction to Real-time Ubuntu for new users.

How-to

Step-by-step guides covering key operations and common tasks, including installation and configuration.

Reference

Technical information about metric tools, boot parameters and supported releases.

Explanation

Conceptual information about Linux kernel schedulers.

Project and community

The Real-time Ubuntu project welcomes community contributions, suggestions, fixes and constructive feedback. If you wish to contribute to the Real-time Ubuntu docs, consult the CONTRIBUTING guide.

Before raising a pull request, it’s generally worth opening an issue to discuss any proposed change unless it’s trivial. Then, if you decide to raise a pull request, be sure you’ve signed the Canonical contributor agreement — it’s the easiest way to grant us permission to use your contributions.