Real-time separation
Time-critical tasks execute in an out-of-band stage separate from ordinary Linux scheduling.
LINRT REAL-TIME LINUX DISTRIBUTION
LinRT Cobalt
Xenomai 3 dual-kernel real time, RTDM and legacy migration
Choose Cobalt when the application requires a dedicated high-priority real-time stage, Xenomai 3 semantics or a migration path for existing real-time software and device drivers.
TECHNOLOGY PROFILE
KERNELXenomai 3 Cobalt
MODELDual kernel + Dovetail
APIsXenomai POSIX / skins
DRIVERSRTDM drivers
A strong choice for mature Xenomai systems, RTDM and legacy RTOS migration.
LinRT 5.3Q4 2026 · CRA Ready planned
LinRT 6.x LTSQ1 2027 · i.MX95 planned
NXP i.MXi.MX6 · 8MP · 91/93 · 95
SecurityCRA evidence approach
01 / Why choose this approach?
Preserve demanding real-time workflows and proven application investments.
Choose Cobalt when the application requires a dedicated high-priority real-time stage, Xenomai 3 semantics or a migration path for existing real-time software and device drivers.
RTDM driver model
Build dedicated device I/O paths where normal Linux drivers cannot meet the latency budget.
Application continuity
Xenomai libraries and selected emulation skins support migration from Xenomai and legacy RTOS software.
Industrial fieldbus fit
Relevant for control and fieldbus stacks requiring validated deterministic communication paths.
02 / How the architecture works
Xenomai 3 dual-kernel real time, RTDM and legacy migration
Cobalt combines the Xenomai 3 real-time core with a Linux kernel equipped with a compatible interrupt-pipelining interface such as Dovetail on supported branches. Real-time threads and RTDM handlers run out-of-band; Linux continues to deliver ordinary networking, storage, graphics and administration.
Engineering trade-off: Legacy skins and RTnet are not universally enabled or supported across all targets; API/ABI and device-driver qualification is required.
03 / Engineering considerations
Typical applications & What must be validated
Typical applications
- Migration of pSOS / VxWorks-style real-time applications (scope-dependent)
- Industrial control with critical interrupt-to-thread paths
- Existing Xenomai POSIX / RTDM applications
- Fieldbus or specialized I/O with dedicated real-time drivers
Dual-kernel integration checklist
- Verify the exact Xenomai 3, Dovetail and kernel branch combination.
- Port critical drivers to RTDM as needed; audit out-of-band safe calls.
- Detect unwanted mode switches and boundary crossings.
- Measure worst-case behavior under simultaneous Linux load and I/O stress.
04 / BSP portfolio & SoM targets
LinRT 5.3 in Q4 2026 · LinRT 6.x LTS in Q1 2027
Q4 2026 PLANNED / NOT YET RELEASED
LinRT 5.3 — CRA Ready
LinRT 5.3 is planned for Q4 2026 as the CRA-Ready evolution of the LinRT 5.x LTS family, on Yocto 5.0 Scarthgap LTS. BSP security controls and traceable validation evidence are the delivery goals; the separate customer CRA Certification Kit is planned for early 2027 alongside LinRT 6.x LTS.
Q1 2027 PLANNED / NOT YET RELEASED
LinRT 6.x LTS — NXP i.MX95
LinRT 6.x LTS is planned for Q1 2027, targeting Yocto 6.0 Wrynose LTS, Linux 6.18 LTS and Qt 6.12 LTS. NXP i.MX95 SoM support is announced as part of this generation, subject to configuration-specific qualification.
LinRT 5.x LTS — Scarthgap LTS baseline
LinRT 5.x LTS uses Yocto Project 5.0 “Scarthgap” LTS, with Linux 6.6 / 6.12 LTS variants according to target and distribution. LinRT 5.3 (product version, not Yocto 5.3) is planned for Q4 2026 as CRA Ready.
LinRT 6.x LTS — Q1 2027 roadmap
LinRT 6.x LTS is planned for Q1 2027, targeting Yocto Project 6.0 “Wrynose” LTS, Linux 6.18 LTS and Qt 6.12 LTS. Support for NXP i.MX95 is planned with this release, subject to qualification for each BSP variant.
Reference and target hardware families. Final support must be confirmed per distribution, SoM vendor, board design and kernel branch.
05 / CRA readiness
Security evidence as part of BSP engineering
The proposed LinRT CRA-Ready BSP and CRA Certification Kit aim to make product-level cybersecurity assessment more repeatable, with evidence tied to a defined software image and hardware configuration.
CRA CERTIFICATION KIT · EARLY 2027
CRA Certification Kit — planned with LinRT 6.x LTS
Planned for early 2027 alongside the initial LinRT 6.x LTS release, the CRA Certification Kit is designed to help manufacturers turn BSP-level cybersecurity controls into traceable evidence for their own product conformity assessments.
SBOM & vulnerability tracking
Software Bill of Materials, CVE/VEX workflows and component traceability for a defined BSP build.
Security verification
Reusable hardening checks, boot and update assessments, and repeatable validation procedures.
Documented evidence
Requirements-to-tests mapping, result templates and evidence package structures for customer integration.
The Kit supports a product-specific Cyber Resilience Act conformity process; it is not a CRA certificate and does not replace the manufacturer’s risk assessment or legal responsibilities.
CRA Ready describes a compliance-support engineering objective; it is not a CE certificate or a guarantee that any finished product complies with the CRA. Qualification and features depend on SoM, kernel and board configuration.
06 / Explore another edition
Explore each distribution
Oxygen
PREEMPT_RTThreaded interrupt handling, preemptible kernel paths and standard POSIX / Linux APIs. The simplest route when latency targets can be met within the Linux ecosystem.
Explore the distribution →Cobalt
Xenomai 3 · Cobalt / RTDMA separate high-priority real-time execution stage with mature Xenomai APIs, RTDM drivers and optional compatibility skins for selected legacy applications.
Explore the distribution →Tungsten
Xenomai 4 · EVL / libevlDovetail connects Linux and the EVL core; libevl exposes dedicated real-time services to C/C++ applications requiring predictable out-of-band execution.
Explore the distribution →Build a qualified real-time Linux platform
Discuss SoM support, system integration, real-time driver architecture and the scope of the LinRT CRA-Ready roadmap.
Technical references
Technical baseline and upstream documentation used for this presentation. Product scope and availability must be confirmed with LinRT.