Low-Latency Real-Time Kernel & Multi-Boot

Kernel TuningPre-configured

Overview & Purpose

High-rate cellular transceivers and baseband fuzzing require sub-millisecond scheduling predictability and timer resolution. TelcoChisel boots by default with the Ubuntu low-latency real-time kernel (`linux-image-lowlatency`). The bootloader also exposes four specialized operational profiles: Standard Live Mode, Encrypted Persistent Live Mode (using LUKS casper-rw), Lightweight i3 Tiling Mode, and Toram Mode.

Verification Command

Run the following to confirm this configuration is active on your system:

Low-Latency Real-Time Kernel & Multi-Boot — Verification
uname -r && cat /proc/cmdline

Configuration Details & Steps

TelcoChisel applies these settings automatically at ISO build time. The following steps document each configuration item:

  1. 1
    Verify that the low-latency kernel is active: uname -r
  2. 2
    Inspect the live boot commandline parameters: cat /proc/cmdline
  3. 3
    Check timer frequency and preemption model: zgrep -E 'CONFIG_HZ|CONFIG_PREEMPT' /proc/config.gz 2>/dev/null || uname -v
  4. 4
    Check available memory in Toram or live overlay: df -h / /cow

Troubleshooting

Common Issues
If persistence fails to load on boot, ensure your persistent USB partition has the filesystem label `casper-rw` (or `persistence`) and was formatted using `telcosec-create-usb`.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use the low-latency kernel instead of standard generic kernel?

The low-latency kernel is built with CONFIG_PREEMPT and 1000 Hz timer frequency, drastically reducing scheduling jitter during high-bandwidth 5G NR and LTE RF sample streaming.

What is Toram mode?

Toram mode copies the entire compressed live filesystem into RAM during boot. This yields maximum I/O performance and allows the operator to unplug the USB flash drive once booted.

How does Encrypted Persistence protect data?

It uses LUKS encryption on the persistence partition, ensuring that captured PCAPs, credentials, and custom scripts cannot be extracted if the physical USB flash drive is lost or confiscated.

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