Java RTS 2.1 EA (Early Access) marks the arrival of a commitment made some time back, namely that Sun would provide a version of the Java Real-Time System for Linux.  Perhaps to some, it was long time in the making, but in fact there are at least 2 good reasons why a Linux version wasn't available till now:

1. Until recently, there was no standard Linux release/kernel which had true real-time support.  Typically the versions available were non-standard and did not constitute any considerable volume.  Mainstream Linux distributions are only now incorporating the necessary real-time underpinnings.
2. Porting the Java Real-Time System VM to additional platforms is non-trivial.

Support and testing for Java RTS 2.1 EA at this time is limited to the currently shipping SUSE Linux Enterprise Real Time10 platform and the upcoming Red Hat Enterprise MRG 1.0 release.  It is however possible that other versions of Linux could run Java RTS 2.1 EA as it utilizes the real-time POSIX programming interface.  At minimum they would require a 2.6.21 kernel or greater and a glibc of 2.5 or greater.  In addition, the latest RT patch would also be needed.

This announcement pertains only to Linux, but of course a 2.1 EA version for both Solaris x86/x64 and Sparc will be shortly forthcoming. In the interim, a version of Java RTS 2.0 update 1 is readily available.  Documentation for both Java RTS 2.0 and 2.1 EA can be found here.

Regardless of platform, an evaluation version of the software is available for download at the Java RTS download page.

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