The release of the Linux distribution Armbian 24.11 has been published, providing a compact system environment for various single-board computers with processors based on ARM, RISC-V, and x86 architectures, including various models of Raspberry Pi, Odroid, Orange Pi, Banana Pi, Helios64, pine64, Nanopi, and Cubieboard based on Allwinner, Amlogic, Actionsemi, Freescale/NXP, Marvell Armada, Rockchip, Radxa, and Samsung Exynos processors.
The builds are formed using package bases from Debian and Ubuntu, but the environment is completely reconstructed using its own build system with optimizations for reducing size, increasing performance, and applying additional security mechanisms. For example, the /var/log partition is mounted using zram and stored in RAM in a compressed form with data flushed to the storage once a day or upon shutdown. The /tmp partition is mounted using tmpfs.
The project supports over 30 variants of Linux kernel builds for different ARM and ARM64 platforms. To simplify the creation of custom system images, packages, and distributions, an SDK is provided. ZSWAP is used for swap. When accessing via SSH, there is an option for two-factor authentication. It includes the box64 emulator, allowing the execution of programs compiled for x86 architecture processors. Ready-to-use packages are offered for launching user environments based on KDE, GNOME, Budgie, Cinnamon, i3wm, Mate, Xfce, and Xmonad.
Main changes in Armbian 24.11:
- The build tools (Armbian Build Framework) have been updated, optimizing the compilation process, speeding up builds, and simplifying the delivery of custom firmware.
- The configuration scripts (Armbian Config Next Generation) have been updated, expanding the capabilities for managing hardware and services.
- The Linux kernel package for single-board computers with Rockchip chips has been updated. The new version improves power management, enhances the stability of the GPU driver, and adds support for additional peripherals.
- The utility for system configuration — armbian-config — has been completely rewritten. The new version simplifies the setup process for various components and expands automation capabilities for task execution. A new console interface is provided for performing operations such as configuring network connections, changing SSH parameters, managing hardware, and installing/removing packages.
- The application installation process using the command line or a menu-based interface has been simplified. For example, the armbian-config configurator can quickly install packages like Docker, Portainer, Pi-Hole, OpenHab, and Kuma.
- Ready-to-install system images are separately generated with various pre-configured applications that include the minimal necessary environment required to run specific applications. For example, a build is available for deploying the Home Assistant home automation platform, a build with security testing utilities from Kali Linux, and a build for creating network storage based on OpenMediaVault.
- Builds for creating workstations based on single-board PCs are formed using the KDE, GNOME, and Xfce desktop environments. The Xfce build is additionally optimized for use on low-power boards. All builds use 3D acceleration on boards that support it, and on Rockchip boards, video playback is additionally supported in 4K quality.
- Platinum level support is provided for Radxa Rock 5 ITX, Rock 5B+/5C, and Bigtreetech CB1 boards. Support is also offered for Khadas Edge2 (Allwinner), Khadas VIM series, BananaPi CM40, BananaPi M7 (Rockchip RK3588), BananaPi F3 (RISC-V), and FriendlyElec M6/T6/R6x (RK3588). Support for devices using chips from Mekotronics, Innovato, Libre Computer, Texas Instruments, JetHome, SmartNow, and AlfredSmart has been expanded.
Source: opennet.ru
