Most of you know Ubuntu as a desktop operating system; others know it as an excellent Linux server or as a hugely popular cloud operating system. But CanonicalUbuntu’s parent company, also a serious player in Internet of Things (IoT) arena. And with its latest IoT release, Ubuntu Core 22Canonical offers real-time processing.
Real-time processing is when a program or operating system is fast enough that it can guarantee a response to data within a tight real-world deadline. Typically, real-time calculations yield results from microseconds (milliseconds) to milliseconds (milliseconds). Real-time applications that bring everything down to microsecond latency are the stock market high-frequency trading (HFT) applications. Real-time millisecond processing is much more commonly used in banking and telecommunications applications, digital ad networks, and self-driving cars. By the way, people have an average reaction time of about 250 milliseconds.
To make it available in Ubuntu, Canonical starts with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS real-time kernel. This is based on upstream Linux kernel v5.15. It also integrates the out-of-tree PREEMPT_RT patch for x86_64 and AArch64 architectures. The real-time scheduler can pre-block threads in the kernel, including in critical sections, interrupt handlers, and interrupt code sequences, ensuring limited responses. By minimizing non-priority critical parts of the kernel code, the PREEMPT_RT patches – which have not yet been fully upstream – make the kernel preferred over the mainstream Linux kernel.
Although only in beta, the Ubuntu Core 22 real-time kernel allows you to start working on IoT applications that require ultra-low latency and predictability of workloads for industrial use cases. , telecommunications, automobiles, and time-sensitive robotics.
Mark Shuttleworth, CEO of Canonical said, “With this release and the real-time kernel of Ubuntu, we are ready to extend the benefits of Ubuntu Core across the entire embedded world.”
In addition to the promise of real-time applications, Ubuntu Core today offers a powerful, fully-contained Ubuntu. It breaks the monolith Ubuntu Linux images into packages called snaps. This includes the kernel, operating system and applications. Each snap runs in a separate sandbox that includes the application’s dependencies to make it completely portable and reliable. Canonical’s Snapcraft Frame enables agile development on rails for rapid iteration, automated testing, and reliable deployment.
Each device running Ubuntu Core has its own dedicated IoT App Store. This gives both users and developers full control over what apps they run on their devices and how they run.
Ubuntu Core also guarantees transaction-critical over-the-air (OTA) updates of all components, from the kernel to applications and vice versa. The update will complete successfully or automatically rollback to the previous working version. In short, you cannot order a faulty or incompletely updated device.
Core Snaps also uses delta updates, which reduces network traffic. Finally, Ubuntu Core applications use digital signatures to ensure the integrity and provenance of the software.
Besides digital signatures, Ubuntu Core also includes other security features. These include secure boot, full disk encryption, secure restore, and strict sandboxing restrictions.
Brad Kehler, COO of Control KMCsaid, “KMC Controls’ range of IoT devices is purpose-built for mission-critical industrial environments. Security is paramount to our customers. We chose Ubuntu Core because of the built-in advanced security features and powerful over-the-air update framework Ubuntu Core comes with a 10-year security update guarantee, which allows us to keep devices secure in the industry. this area during their long existence.”
That 10 years of support, combined with the ability to update it over the air, is also important for those who are bored and tired of embedded devices and IoT, which have always been unsupported by lazy vendors. . It is now much easier to provide good equipment not only today but also for many years to come.
Ubuntu Core 22 has the potential to be an IoT and embedded device game changer.
