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Dear Armbian Community, We’re thrilled to announce that Armbian development is currently at full throttle, with significant improvements to our build framework and daily bug fixes. Our community of regular contributors has grown, and we’re witnessing increased utilization of the build framework. Here are some highlights of what’s been happening lately: Framework Enhancements: We’ve been diligently working on enhancements to our build framework, focusing on areas such as kernel config management, libc generation, kernel debugging, and kernel security checks. Hardware Support: In collaboration with Sinovoip, we’ve added new platinum supported hardware which brings higher level of support. In collaboration with Radxa, we’ve integrated the new Zero 3E/3W boards into our build framework, expanding our hardware support. Additionally, we have several boards in staging: Bananapi M4 Zero, Rock S0, and several community added targets: Orangepi Zero 2W, FriendlyElec CM3588 NAS, X96 Mate TV Box. Home Assistant Integration: We’ve incorporated additional fixes for Home Assistant, further enhancing Armbian-powered Home Assistant deployment. Updated images with these fixes have been released. If you encounter any issues, please report them here. Rockchip Kernel Updates: Following recent upgrades of Rockchip vendor kernels, the entire Rockchip family now benefits from the first open-source panthor driver implementation. While this marks significant progress, it’s important to note that these images are experimental and may contain bugs. Download them from the board download pages under “Daily/Rolling releases from CI pipeline.” Code Review Initiative: In light of recent incidents, such as the backdoor discovered in a widely used open-source tool (xz), we recognize the importance of robust code review processes. We’re actively seeking community members who can contribute to improving our code review practices. If you’re passionate about open-source and want to make a difference, consider applying to become a code reviewer here. Thank you for your continued support and contributions to the Armbian project. Together, we’re building a stronger, more secure open-source ecosystem. Warm regards, The Armbian Team View the full article

Dear Armbian Community, Here are the latest news! With each new Armbian release, we bring you plenty of improvements. However, we also encounter some new bugs along the way. While some are our own doing, most come from various sources. Much of the software we distribute is common and maintained by third parties upstream, with our main focus on single board computers. Challenges and Improvements During the first week after the release, we faced some problems with the package repository. Our system is highly automated, but sometimes things don’t go smoothly. While trying to improve things, we accidentally caused a delay in updates for two weeks. We’re working hard to fix these issues and make our processes smoother for the future. Rockchip Kernel Developments We’ve been busy improving Rockchip vendor kernels, and we’re currently working on porting and testing their new 6.1.y release. KDE Plasma Desktop Integration Even though we were in the final stages of our release cycle, we managed to include the brand new release of the KDE Plasma desktop. Now, all supported boards come with KDE Plasma Neon v6.1 desktop images, based on the Ubuntu package base. These images offer the latest stable Armbian kernels and LTS package base, without the bloatware or Snap, giving you the best desktop experience. Documentation Enhancement Initiative We’re committed to improving our documentation. We’ve updated our Pull Request templates to make it easier for people to contribute. If you’re interested in helping us improve our documentation, join our upcoming Documentation Follow-up Meeting for more collaboration. Stay tuned for more updates and improvements! The Armbian team. View the full article

Dear Armbian community, We’re excited to announce the latest Armbian release,24.2, codename: Kereru! This update comes with a plethora of changes, making the Armbian experience even better. Highlights of Completed Actions Closed Projects In recent developments, we’re proud to announce the completion of several projects geared towards refining the Armbian experience. Notably, we’ve resolved DNS resolution issues associated with Debian Bookworm, ensuring smoother connectivity for users. Furthermore, our team has optimized the performance of HDMI consoles on Khadas VIM1S and VIM4 devices, alleviating previous sluggishness. Additionally, we’ve successfully tackled the complexities of Rockchip patch maintenance, streamlining operations for enhanced stability. Moreover, our hardware compatibility has been expanded with the inclusion of Xiaomi Mi10, Orangepi Zero3 and ASUS Tinker-Edge-R, broadening the range of potentially maintained devices. Lastly, users of Khadas VIM1S & VIM4 can now benefit from the latest kernel advancements with the implementation of the latest Amlogic kernel 5.15.y drop. Closed Tasks In our ongoing commitment to improving Armbian’s functionality, we’ve achieved significant milestones in various tasks. Among these accomplishments is the introduction of a new feature enabling the convenient display of download links, enhancing user accessibility. Furthermore, we’ve seamlessly integrated Odroid M1 into the rockchip64 family, ensuring a cohesive user experience across devices. Additionally, the integration of Ubuntu 24.04 Noble into our build framework provides users with expanded options for operating systems. Moreover, we’ve prioritized kernel updates, ensuring that all current kernels have been upgraded to 6.6 LTS, incorporating the latest enhancements. Furthermore, the addition of Home Assistant extensions further enriches Armbian’s functionality, while security measures such as LVM support, CRYPTROOT, and enhanced system configurations bolster system integrity. Lastly, the introduction of Cloud-init support underscores our commitment to user convenience and choice, while the inclusion of support for Radxa Rock S 0 expands device compatibility options. Solved Bugs In our ongoing efforts to provide a seamless user experience, we’ve diligently addressed various bugs and issues. Notable resolutions include rectifying network interface card failures on Orangepi One+, ensuring consistent connectivity for users. Additionally, we’ve successfully resolved issues with Edge Kernel disrupting WiFi and Bluetooth support for RockPI-S devices, restoring functionality. Furthermore, errors related to package removal and systemd unit enablement have been rectified, minimizing potential disruptions during system maintenance. Moreover, desktop compatibility issues with the Cinnamon desktop on Vim4 have been resolved, ensuring a smooth user experience across devices. Additionally, optimizations have been made to reduce image loading times on Khadas VIM1S/VIM4 Bookworm, enhancing overall system performance and responsiveness. The complete list of actions have be accessed here. Remarkable Contributors, Supporters and Partners We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the individuals who have contributed immensely to the growth and success of Armbian. Remarkable Contributors: @adeepn, @alex3d, @amazingfate, @belegdol, @brentr, @chainsx, @efectn, @EvilOlaf, @glneo, @h-s-c, @hzyitc, @iav, @igorpecovnik, @lanefu, @msdos03, @paolosabatino, @prahal, @pyavitz, @rpardini, @schwar3kat, @SteeManMI, @tdleiyao, @Tonymac32, @viraniac, @xlazom00 Support Staff: Didier, Lanefu, Rafal, Adam, Werner, and many others have dedicated their expertise and time to provide support and guidance. We also extend our gratitude to our esteemed partners. Find out more about them here. Your contributions and support are invaluable in shaping the Armbian community and its success. Thank you for your continuous support to the Armbian community! The Armbian team View the full article

Dear Armbian Community, Here are the latest news! Documentation We recently held a productive meeting to revamp our Build framework documentation. Our primary focus is on making the build framework internal help the ultimate source of truth. The existing pull request draft with hard-coded entries will be transformed into a JSON format, laying the foundation for comprehensive technical documentation. (meeting video) Build Framework features Explore the power of our build framework feature “extensions” – an easy yet robust way to create custom-builds with pre-installed applications. We’ve started providing Armbian with Home Assistant Supervised for selected boards, offering a hassle-free automated pre-installation for a full-blown experience. Mobile-Friendly Desktop Environments With an expanding array of hardware, we are on the lookout for developers interested in bringing up and maintaining mobile-friendly desktop environments such as Gnome mobile, Phosh, KDE mobile, etc. If you’re passionate about this, please get in touch for potential collaboration. Geolocation Router Upgrade In the past few weeks, we upgraded our Geolocation router to a JSON-driven system. We are actively addressing politically induced access issues, particularly in Ukraine/Russia regions. We aim to resolve these problems swiftly and continue providing a seamless service. In case you want to implement it for your services or just to peek how it works, sources are available. Upcoming Release: 24.02 We are gearing up for the 24.02 release, focusing on bug fixes and strategic decisions on board support. Our revised board support rules aim to narrow our focus, ensuring better support for selected hardware. Stay tuned for an improved Armbian experience. Vendor Appreciation We believe in acknowledging vendors who support non-profit open-source movements. A heartfelt thank you to our partners: Khadas, Sinovoip, Ampere Computing, BiQu, Texas Instrument, Mekotronics, JetHome, LibreComputer, Pine64, Mixtile, for their ongoing support, all small supporters from Forums, GitHub and LiberaPay sponsors. We extend our gratitude to the entire Armbian team, volunteers, and professional staff for their dedication and hard work. Stay connected, stay open-source! Best Regards, The Armbian Team View the full article

Dear Armbian Community, Let’s welcome 2024! As always, we are committed to providing you with the latest updates and improvements to enhance your Armbian experience. Here’s a roundup of recent developments: Armbian Build Framework The Armbian build framework has been extended with official Github action scripts. These scripts make image re-compilation for your hardware a breeze, allowing you to choose different configurations with or without customization. Check it out on the GitHub Marketplace. Kernel Upgrades We have completed kernel upgrades for the current kernel selection. The default upcoming kernel on most platforms will now be based on the most recent LTS kernel base 6.6.y. Additionally, EDGE kernels are already distributed with the latest 6.7.y. Rockchip Kernel Families Merge Our ongoing efforts involve merging disassociated Rockchip kernel families to streamline maintenance and provide a more cohesive user experience. Device-Specific Updates Licheepi 4a: Current kernel support has been added, though it remains in the Work In Progress (WIP) state. Lenovo X1S: Preview images featuring the latest Armbian build are reported to be functioning very well. We’ve also successfully updated the old 32bit Marvell kernel, ensuring that our popular NAS, Helios4, will continue to receive updates and maintainer support. Bug fixes and improvements A significant bug affecting network speed on Rockpi S has been fixed, improving overall performance. Numerous patches have been applied to H616/H618 Zero2 and Zero3 series, addressing issues with display, wireless, Bluetooth, and DVFS. These improvements aim to enhance the overall functionality of these platforms. The default CPU governor has been changed to schedutil, optimizing performance and responsiveness. Debian Compliance In response to feedback from Debian, we have adjusted our packaging to align with Debian derivatives guidelines, ensuring a more consistent and standardized experience. Thank you for your continued support and feedback. We encourage you to explore these updates and share your thoughts with us on our community forums. Best regards, The Armbian Team View the full article