RTZen is a freely available, open-source, middleware that is compliant with most of the features defined in the CORBA 2.3 specification, including portions of the Real-time CORBA specification. The design of RTZen is based on many of the patterns, techniques, and lessons learned from the development of The ACE ORB (TAO). RTZen is implemented using the Real-time Specification of Java (RTSJ), which simplifies the programming model for distributed real-time and embedded (DRE) systems.
RTZen runs atop both interpreted and ahead-of-time compiled RTSJ platforms, as well as conventional Java Virtual Machines (JVMs). Currently it provides real-time predictability on TimeSys Linix compiled by TimeSys's RI, Purdue's Open Virtual Machine (OVM), and Washington University's jRate.
The ORB Core in RTZen facilitates the use of key RTSJ features, such as immortal memory, scoped memory and no-heap real-time threads, to enhance middleware predictability. Real-time concurrency and dispatching mechanism in RTZen is provided via thread-pooling and reactive I/O mechanisms. Active demultiplexing optimizations associates client requests with target objects in constant time, regardless of the POA hierarchy. RTZen also uses intelligent component creation strategies to minimize time and space overhead for non-real-time applications.