[Armbian newsletter] - Armbian Weekly Highlights

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Key Highlights from Recent Commits

As we step into the new year, we are excited to share the latest updates and improvements from the Armbian community. These changes reflect our continued commitment to enhancing user experiences, supporting innovative hardware, and streamlining development workflows.

General Updates

• MacchiatoBin: Transitioned to End-of-Support (EOS) status, discontinuing kernel builds for the family. This decision allows developers to focus resources on actively maintained hardware, ensuring better support and innovation.
• Hinlink H6XK Boards:
  • Added KERNEL_TEST_TARGET=current, enabling focused testing on the latest kernels.
  • Enabled the current kernel, offering users access to more recent features, stability fixes, and performance improvements tailored to this board family.
• BananaPi BPI-F3: The branch pull process has been updated to streamline workflows and improve efficiency when working with this hardware. Updated to a more recent upstream branch to ensure compatibility and enhanced performance.
• VisionFive Family: Targets for this hardware have been disabled due to a lack of community support and maintenance. This change ensures resources are directed toward actively maintained platforms.
• OverlayFS Enhancements:
  • Refactored module structure to simplify the codebase and enhance maintainability.
  • Preserved the default value of overlayroot_cfgdisk to maintain compatibility with existing setups while refining the underlying management process.

Kernel Enhancements

• Sunxi Kernel:
  • Upgraded to version 6.6.72, bringing critical fixes, updated functionality, and better performance to supported devices.
  • Improved Armbian and Megous patches, with redundant changes reverted, optimizing the kernel for stability and efficiency.
• UEFI Kernels:
  • Legacy: Updated to 6.6, providing long-term support for stability-focused deployments.
  • Current: Upgraded to 6.12, introducing modern features for developers and power users.
  • Edge: Updated to 6.13, ensuring access to the latest advancements.
• RK3568 Fixes: Implemented PHY fixes sourced from community mailing lists, improving network reliability for RK3568-based devices. (Affected the NanoPi R5 series.)

Driver and Dependency Updates

• WiFi Drivers: The rtl8811cu driver has been partially reverted to address compatibility issues with kernel 6.6. This ensures stable connectivity for users relying on this hardware.
• RTL8822CS Driver: Updated to the latest commit, ensuring compatibility with kernel 6.13+ and delivering improved performance for supported devices.

Build System Enhancements

• Introduced hooks for post_armbian_repo_customize_image and post_repo_customize_image, allowing developers to tailor builds more effectively with automated scripts.
• Transitioned unit testing to dedicated Armbian VM images, providing a controlled and consistent environment to identify and resolve issues before release.
• Fixed several bugs in the Armbian runner deployment scripts, improving stability and efficiency for contributors utilizing GitHub CI/CD pipelines.

Additional Enhancements

• Documentation Updates: Automated updates ensure user and developer guides are always current, making it easier for contributors to access accurate and up-to-date information.
• KVM Bug Fixes: Minor but critical fixes enhance KVM functionality, ensuring smoother virtualization experiences for users who rely on Kernel-based Virtual Machines.
• Distro Verification Improvements: A 10-second warning display has been added during verification processes, with automatic continuation, creating a more user-friendly experience while maintaining security.

 

For a complete overview of the latest changes, visit the Armbian GitHub page.

Thank you for your continuous support to the Armbian community!

The Armbian team

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