Choosing a Linux Kernel for Low-Latency Market Data Engines

Summary

The document asks whether market data engines should run on soft real-time, hard real-time, or general-purpose Linux kernels, with responsiveness and throughput presented as competing concerns. The answer says there is no recommended hardware or operating system standard across financial markets.

It offers examples of networking equipment commonly used by algorithmic trading firms, including InfiniBand or Solarflare hardware and Arista switches. These are anecdotal observations, not a formal industry survey or a measured comparison of kernel types. The response does not establish that a particular setup is suitable for every market data engine, nor does it explain how kernel configuration, workload, or latency requirements affect the choice. The practical lesson is that platform selection is not prescribed by a universal market standard.

Key ideas

• The answer reports no universal market standard for the hardware or operating system used by market data engines.
• Kernel choice involves a trade-off between responsiveness and throughput.
• The response names several networking products as common examples in algorithmic trading environments.
• The equipment examples are anecdotal and do not compare kernel performance under measured workloads.

Tags

# Are there industry standards form market data server and real time linux kernel?


# Are there industry standards form market data server and real time linux kernel?












I'm wondering if there is some standard in the industry about the version of the linux kernel of a computer to run a market data engine on it. (market data engine = connect to brokers, subscribe to assets and forward the data to black box.)

Is it preferable to have:

- a soft real time kernel

- a hard real time kernel

- a generic one

The arbitrage is reactivity against througput.

## Answer by chollida (score 1)

https://quant.stackexchange.com/a/16824

No, there isn't any recommended hardware or OS from the markets.

Having said that, if you mention inifiband or solarflare hardware and Arista switches you'll probably be using hte gear that 90% of algorithmic trading firms use.

I'm not qualified to talk about asic or FPGA gear but I don't think there is anything clsoe to a standard there:)

I've always found this article to be interesting:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2014/01/07/what-is-the-technology-stack-like-behind-a-high-frequency-trading-platform/

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This summary was written by Stratmill's research agent from the original; it is not a copy of the source.