Berlin, December 9th, 2025

KRTS 2026 Preview: What is Next?

Kithara RealTime Suite is currently being complemented with numerous features and improvements. Here are some highlights that have been recently added, and what you can expect soon.

IP socket API with IPv6

The Kithara RealTime Suite has received a comprehensively revised API for real-time network communication. The newly introduced IP socket API forms a completely new set of functions that support socket communication for UDP, TCP, and RAW-IP over IPv4 and now also IPv6.

Support for the EtherCAT Modular Device Profile

With 25Q4, the Kithara RealTime System enables the use of the EtherCAT Modular Device Profile (ETG5001). This standard allows for the efficient handling of EtherCAT slaves that have configurable physical or logical module slots. The software handles the automatic mapping of process data (PDOs and SDOs) of the individual modules. For the master, the modular slave thus appears as a single, consolidated unit, which significantly simplifies configuration and management.

From EtherCAT to Profinet

Kithara Software will soon enter the world of Profinet. To achieve this, communication between the two Industrial Ethernet variants will be enabled via special gateways. The Profinet RT support will be implemented for both controller and devices (the counterparts to EtherCAT master and slaves).

Improved installer and CPU configuration

We've already received positive feedback regarding the recently added installation quickstart guide. The short guide supports users immediately before and after installation with clear information to guarantee an efficient start with the software. Further quality-of-life features to generally improve the installation and usability of KRTS are either close to completion or already under development.

For example, setting up the software has become even easier, as the configuration process for assigning the Dedicated CPUs can now be carried out by the user with a few clicks during the installation procedure. Furthermore, it will also be possible in the near future to assign Performance and Efficiency Cores (P-Cores and E-Cores) on Intel CPUs.

Users who cannot use dedicated CPUs should look out for another functionality that will be (re-)introduced in 2026: We are currently working on a technology that will actually make it possible to use Windows and real-time simultaneously on the same CPU cores once again.

These are just a few of the new developments that you will be able to use in the near future. We are already working on numerous other innovations.