SummaryIn the theory of real‐time scheduling, tasks are described by mathematical variables, which are used in analytical models in order to prove schedulability of the system. On real‐time Linux, tasks are computer programs, and Linux developers try to lower the latencies caused by the Linux kernel, trying to achieve faster response for the highest‐priority task. Although both seek temporal correctness, they use different abstractions, which end up separating these efforts in two different worlds, making it hard for the Linux practitioners to understand and apply the formally proved models to the Linux kernel and for theoretical researchers to apply the restrictions imposed by Linux for the theoretical models. This paper traces a parallel between the theory of response‐time analysis and the abstractions used in the Linux kernel. The contribution of this paper is threefold. We first identify the PREEMPT RT Linux kernel mechanisms that impact the timing of real‐time tasks and map these impacts to the main abstractions used by the real‐time scheduling theory. Then, we describe a customized trace tool, based on the existing trace infrastructure of the Linux kernel, that allows the measurement of the delays associated with the main abstractions of the real‐time scheduling theory. Finally, we use this customized trace tool to characterize the timing lines resulting from the behavior of the PREEMPT RT Linux kernel. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.