Real-time on Linux is achievable when you treat it as a system: kernel config, CPU isolation, and IO design.

PREEMPT‑RT reduces worst-case latency, but you still need to control interrupt affinity and competing workloads.

Validate with cyclictest under realistic load, then iterate on priorities and contention points.

If you truly need microsecond-level determinism, consider splitting hard real-time into an MCU co-processor.

Key Takeaways

• Lower jitter
• Better control loops
• Measurable latency budgets

If you can’t measure worst-case latency, you don’t have real-time.