Real time Java is a catch-all term for a combination of technologies that enables programmers to write programs that meet the demands of real-time systems in the Java programming language.
Java's sophisticated memory management, native support for threading and concurrency, type safety, and relative simplicity have created a demand for its use in many domains. Its capabilities have been enhanced to support real time computational needs:
To overcome typical real time difficulties, the Java Community introduced a specification for real-time Java, JSR001. A number of implementations of the resulting Real-Time Specification for Java (RTSJ) have emerged, including a reference implementation from Timesys, IBM's WebSphere Real Time, Sun Microsystems's Java SE Real-Time Systems, PTC Perc from PTC, Inc., or JamaicaVM from aicas.
The RTSJ addressed the critical issues by mandating a minimum specification for the threading model (and allowing other models to be plugged into the VM) and by providing for areas of memory that are not subject to garbage collection, along with threads that are not preemptable by the garbage collector. These areas are instead managed using region-based memory management. The latest specification, 2.0, supports direct device access and deterministic garbage collection as well.
Real-Time Specification for Java
The Real-Time Specification for Java (RTSJ) is a set of interfaces and behavioral refinements that enable real-time computer programming in the Java programming language. RTSJ 1.0 was developed as JSR 1 under the Java Community Process, which approved the new standard in November, 2001. RTSJ 2.0 is being developed under JSR 282. A draft version is available at JSR 282 JCP Page. More information can be found at RTSJ 2.0