Armbian 24.11 Stirk
We are thrilled to announce Armbian Release 24.11.1 , packed with significant updates across our entire ecosystem! These updates are aimed at enhancing functionality, expanding hardware support, and refining the user experience for both developers and everyday SBC users. Let’s dive into the exciting new features!
Core system updates:
Armbian Build Framework
The updated build system introduces new tools for faster builds and seamless integration. Optimized compilation workflows and prebuilt configurations make deploying custom firmware easier and more efficient, especially for developers focusing on specialized projects.
Armbian Config Utility
Armbian Config Next Generation has seen improvements in hardware control, streamlined service management, and automated configuration scripting, all designed to make system setup more efficient. Security patches and bug fixes further enhance reliability for device management.
Rockchip Linux Kernel
This kernel release brings major improvements to performance and compatibility for Rockchip-based single-board computers (SBCs). Key enhancements include better power management, enhanced GPU driver stability, and expanded support for advanced peripherals. Numerous bug fixes are also included, ensuring smoother and more reliable operations.
These updates are focused on improving performance, expanding hardware support, and refining tools for developers and SBC users alike. Visit the provided links for more comprehensive information on each update.
Significant Userspace Improvements
We are introducing significant advancements in the userspace with our refactored system configuration utility, armbian-config , rewritten from the ground up. This utility supports customization and automation of tasks in the Armbian environment, simplifying setup processes for various configurations and use cases. It helps users configure networks, manage SSH settings , adjust hardware features , and easily install or uninstall software packages . We have integrated unit testing and fast updates through GitHub, maximizing efficiency. We welcome your contributions!
Minimal OS
Armbian is available in both Debian and Ubuntu flavors. Each variant has its unique strengths, but we treat them both equally to ensure a consistent Armbian UX experience. We provide a smooth and straightforward Netplan assisted lightweight systemd-networkd or feature rich Network Manager based networking solution, ensuring consistent network configurations across different images. Migration between Armbian, Ubuntu, or Debian is seamless. Whether you need to set up an Access Point or simple or advanced networking , we’ve got you covered. For application installations, use armbian-config for a quicker setup or follow the standard installation path.
Notable Software Packages with Easy Installation
With a single command or through a menu-driven process, users can install popular software packages such as Docker , Portainer , Pi-Hole , OpenHab , and Kuma . The selection of available software titles is expanding rapidly through our system configuration tool. We designed this tool to allow new installation scripts to be added effortlessly, enabling community contributions. Comprehensive automation is in place to verify code from multiple perspectives, and unit tests for each function as well as automatic documentation generation are supported. Once a new feature is added, we regularly verify it for deployment and reliability.
Dedicated Application Images
To offer the best possible user experience and ensure compatibility, we provide dedicated images with pre-configured applications on top of a clean Armbian OS . These dedicated images contain only the essential components required to run specific applications, delivering optimal performance. For instance:
Home Assistant : We provide images with Home Assistant functionality on par with their official HAOS. This ensures users have the same level of integration and support as with HAOS, tailored for Armbian environments.
Security-oriented Armbian OS Images : For security-focused use cases, we also provide images that come with pre-installed security tools commonly found in Kali Linux . This gives users a ready-to-go solution for security-related projects.
OpenMediaVault : For storage enthusiasts, we offer pre-installed OpenMediaVault images to help set up personal or home NAS solutions quickly and efficiently.
These dedicated application images are optimized for their respective purposes and provide the essentials without the overhead of unnecessary components. This enables users to focus directly on their application goals without the hassle of configuration from scratch.
Desktop Images
While Armbian primarily focuses on minimal OS images for deployments, our desktop variants are designed to deliver streamlined desktop experiences on both x86 workstations and many small SBCs. We have narrowed our desktop environments to KDE Neon , Gnome , and XFCE . All three options are available for powerful hardware, while XFCE is the choice for low-powered, older devices. Each option comes with 3D acceleration if the SoC supports it, and Rockchip-based hardware also features 4K video playback out of the box .
Partnership Collaborations
We are collaborating with leading vendors of single-board computers (SBCs). Recently, in partnership with Radxa , we successfully deployed a low-power mirror server running Armbian, built around their ITX platform: Radxa Rock 5 ITX. We also provide platinum support for this hardware, as well as for Rock 5B+ and 5C models.
In collaboration with Khadas , we maintain Khadas Edge2 and several models from the VIM series. Additionally, we organized a giveaway of two powerful Mind workstations, limited to active contributors to the Armbian project. Open source maintainers sacrifice their time to ensure the smooth functioning of the code we all use, and we wanted to show our appreciation.
We also offer platinum support for the Allwinner-powered CB1, developed by the renowned 3D printer manufacturer Bigtreetech . In collaboration with BananaPi Tech , we provide advanced support for their computing module CM40 and the Rockchip RK3588-powered BananaPi M7. We are also developing for their RISC-V platform-based BananaPi F3.
Our renewed cooperation with FriendlyElec sees us maintaining several devices, such as the M6, T6, and R6x, all built around RK3588. Additionally, we offer advanced support for Mekotronics , Innovato , Libre Computer , Texas Instruments , JetHome , SmartNow , AlfredSmart , and others. Our contribution to the community is in providing OS images for all build targets. However, for boards that are not under active team supervision, while most of them function well, we cannot commit to resolving tickets related to unsupported models due to limited resources.
Remarkable Contributors
Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to individuals who have significantly contributed to the growth and success of Armbian:
AaronDewes, adeepn, aiamadeus, alex3d, alexl83, amazingfate, as-jackson, belegdol, benhoff, bmilde, brentr, btbxbob, buldo, chainsx, ColorfulRhino, davidandreoletti, dependabot, dimitry-ishenko, dust-7, efectn, EvilOlaf, fridtjof, ginkage, HeyMeco, hqnicolas, igorpecovnik, IsMrX, itlhd, JohnTheCoolingFan, jomadeto, Joshua-Riek, lpapadakos, mahdichi, mattx433, monkaBlyat, MrSuicideParrot, mr-toolcraft, mschirrmeister, paolosabatino, pyavitz, pykpkg47, RadxaNaoki, RadxaStephen, rpardini, rvalle, schmiedelm, schwar3kat, sicXnull, siis2992, SuperKali, Tearran, The-going, Tonymac32, viraniac, williammartin
We also thank our support staff: Didier, Lanefu, Adam, Werner, Aaron, and many more for their dedicated expertise in providing 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 of the Armbian community!
The Armbian Team.