Installing Real-Time Kernel#

Beginning with release 35.1, Real-Time Kernel support is provided with Developer-Preview quality for the following platforms:

  • Jetson Orin AGX

  • Jetson Orin NX and Nano

You can install Real-Time Kernel by using OTA update or building the kernel sources manually.

Real-Time Kernel Using OTA Update#

The Real-Time (RT) Kernel can be installed with a Debian package management–based OTA on Jetson devices running Jetson Linux or Jetson components on a host computer.

Installing the Real-Time Kernel Packages on a Jetson Device#

  1. Open the apt source configuration file in a text editor. For example:

    $ sudo vi /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nvidia-l4t-apt-source.list

  2. Add the RT Kernel repository:

    deb https://repo.download.nvidia.com/jetson/rt-kernel <release> main

    Replace <release> with the release number of the minor release to which you want to update. For example, to update to release 36.3, replace <release> with r36.3. OTA updates install the latest version of the specified release.

  3. Save and close the source configuration file.

  4. Enter the following command:

    $ sudo apt update

  5. Install the RT kernel packages:

    $ sudo apt install nvidia-l4t-rt-kernel nvidia-l4t-rt-kernel-headers nvidia-l4t-rt-kernel-oot-modules nvidia-l4t-display-rt-kernel

  6. Reboot your Jetson device after the installation is finished:

    $ sudo reboot

Removing the Real-Time Kernel Packages from a Jetson Device#

  1. Remove the RT Kernel packages by using the following command:

    $ sudo apt remove nvidia-l4t-rt-kernel nvidia-l4t-rt-kernel-headers nvidia-l4t-rt-kernel-oot-modules nvidia-l4t-display-rt-kernel

  2. Reboot your Jetson device:

    $ sudo reboot

Switch to a Different Kernel#

After you install the Real-Time Kernel on your device, you might want to switch between the Real-Time Kernel image and the original generic kernel image without re-installing or removing kernel packages. You can do this by editing /boot/extlinux/extlinux.conf and setting the DEFAULT property to specify the kernel you want to boot. Set DEFAULT to real-time for the Real-Time Kernel or to primary for the generic kernel:

TIMEOUT 30
DEFAULT real-time

Building Real-Time Linux Kernel Sources#

For detailed instructions on downloading the Real-Time sources and building it, refer to Kernel Customization.

Note

The UEFI runtime services are enabled by default, which might increase latency. We do not recommend using UEFI runtime services while running RT applications. For more information, refer to commit ba7585a4a5580b4cba26ebe76050bd2ef1148948.

On this page