T95Z Plus (Second one) running great

[Tomas Catone]

TV Box Name: Sunvell T95Z plus Octagon shaped box (I wrote it before – but Beware – apparently a lot of variants)

 

CPU Amlogics S912

Armbian build file name: Armbian_community_25.8.0-trunk.277_Aml-s9xx-box_noble_current_6.12.34

DTB file used: meson-gxm-t95z-plus.dtb – (my other T95z uses meson-gxm-vega-s96.dtb)

Kernel Version: 6.12.34

Distribution Installed (focal, buster, etc): Noble

Working Ethernet (Yes/No): Yes

Max Ethernet Speed that works (100/1000): Not sure how to determine...

Does wifi work (Yes/No): No

Does bluetooth work (Yes/No): Not tested

Does HDMI audio work (Yes/No): Yes

 

Additional Comments (provide any additional information you feel is important):

This is my second T95z plus box build. Using as headless server and both seem solid. Confirming what others have said – the build is different inside. This has a different wifi card and eemc. I have a 3rd T95z plus that has the dreaded NAND chip too. Having fun and learning. Using as a simple NAS now with a ZFS pool and works just fine.

[Pita Bread]

On 7/2/2025 at 7:27 AM, Tomas Catone said:

Max Ethernet Speed that works (100/1000): Not sure how to determine...

you can install "ethtool" and run ethtool eth0 on the command line. look for the line that shows " Speed: "

 

On 7/2/2025 at 7:27 AM, Tomas Catone said:

Using as a simple NAS now with a ZFS pool

 

how did you install ZFS in Armbian?

[Tomas Catone]

Good to meet a fellow armbian android tv box fan.   We need a logo or shorthand alias for fans 🤣.

 

ZFS - was easy but not clear.  Inside armbian-config under System/Storage is a script to install ZFS support.  I did this and it didn't work... then undid it and then installed it a second time and it worked.  Somewhere in there I also ran the standard commands for install:

 

sudo apt install zfsutils-linux
sudo apt install zfs-fuse

 

Probably after the first uninstall... but the commands indicate failure.  But then installing the second time seemed to work.

 

Did that on both of these boxes I have working.  

 

Thanks for the ethtool command.  Here's my results on box1

 

ports auto-negotiation: Yes
	Supported FEC modes: Not reported
	Advertised link modes:  10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full
	                        100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full
	                        1000baseT/Full
	Advertised pause frame use: Symmetric Receive-only
	Advertised auto-negotiation: Yes
	Advertised FEC modes: Not reported
	Link partner advertised link modes:  10baseT/Half 10baseT/Full
	                                     100baseT/Half 100baseT/Full
	                                     1000baseT/Full
	Link partner advertised pause frame use: Symmetric Receive-only
	Link partner advertised auto-negotiation: Yes
	Link partner advertised FEC modes: Not reported
	Speed: 1000Mb/s
	Duplex: Full
	Auto-negotiation: on
	master-slave cfg: preferred slave
	master-slave status: slave
	Port: Twisted Pair
	PHYAD: 0
	Transceiver: external
	MDI-X: Unknown
netlink error: Operation not permitted
        Current message level: 0x0000003f (63)
                               drv probe link timer ifdown ifup
	Link detected: yes

 

Not an expert and first time reading this command but looks like 1000 is the answer.  Crazy thing - box 2 does not have the line "MDI-X: Unknown" shown towards the bottom and "Port: MII" instead of "Port: twisted pair" but is otherwise identical.  Posting in case it helps anyone else - but these are beyond me.  

 

If you confirm that the above = 1000 I will update both my box running posts.  

 

By the way - Another favorite is Software/Management/Cockpit.  Easy to see how the server is doing.  Plus it has a built in terminal and file manager. 

 

Add that to Tailscale and you can check on the server or grab a file while out of the house.  

curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh

 

Those are my favorites.  What are yours?