The Banana Pi BPI-M7 is an upcoming single-board computer that offers impressive specifications and expansion options. Powered by a Rockchip RK3588 processor, the BPI-M7 boasts up to 32GB of RAM and up to 128GB of eMMC storage. It also supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.

What sets the BPI-M7 apart is its compact size and extensive expansion capabilities. With dimensions of just 92 x 62mm, it is comparable to a Raspberry Pi Model B. Despite its small size, the BPI-M7 can support up to three displays, has two 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports, and features an M.2 M-Key slot with PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD support.

The Rockchip processor at the heart of the BPI-M7 offers powerful performance, with four Cortex-A76 CPU cores running at 2.4 GHz, four Cortex-A55 cores running at 1.8 GHz, Mali-G610 MC4 graphics, and a neural processing unit with up to 6 TOPS of AI performance. The system also supports different memory and storage configurations, including 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of LPDDR4x onboard memory and a 64GB or 128GB eMMC flash storage module.

In terms of connectivity, the BPI-M7 offers a range of ports and connectors, including USB Type-C with DisplayPort Alt Mode for up to 8K/30Hz output, HDMI 2.1 for 8K@60Hz display, and MIPI-DSI for 4K/60Hz display. It also features two 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports, an M.2 M-Key slot for PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe SSD, a microSD card reader, USB 3.0 Type-A ports, MIPI-CSI camera connectors, a 40-pin GPIO header, a fan connector, and an audio header.

The Banana Pi BPI-M7 supports both Android 12 and Debian 10 “Buster” with Linux kernel 5.10. While mass production and pricing details are yet to be announced, the makers of the BPI-M7 have produced a small number of samples. With its powerful specifications and expansion options, the BPI-M7 looks promising for server enthusiasts, Linux users, DevOps professionals, and home lab enthusiasts.

Source: Liliputing.

Netgate, the provider of pfSense Community Edition (CE) software, has announced the release of version 2.7.1. pfSense CE is an open-source project that has been supported by Netgate since 2008. The source code for the project is available on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 open-source license. pfSense CE can be used on common hardware to build routers and more.

One major change in this release is the upgrade of OpenSSL to version 3.0.12. This upgrade was necessary as OpenSSL 1.1.1 has reached its End of Life and will no longer receive security patches. With the upgrade to OpenSSL 3.0.12, older and weaker encryption and hash algorithms have been removed, and security certificates based on these algorithms have been deprecated. It is highly recommended to review the release notes and Netgate’s blog post on this topic before performing the upgrade.

Another notable feature in version 2.7.1 is the addition of Kea DHCP as an opt-in feature. While basic functionality is present, it is not yet feature-complete. Switching to the Kea DHCP server can be done through the web interface by navigating to System > Advanced and changing the server backend radio button in the DHCP Options section to “Kea DHCP”. It is important to note that switching to Kea DHCP may result in ignored hostnames for devices on the network that were assigned using static leases or rely on dynamic lease registration in DNS.

This release also includes improved support for SCTP (Stream Control Transmission Protocol) in PF for firewall rules, NAT, and logging. Rules can now act on SCTP packets by port number, whereas previously it was only possible to filter on source or destination address. Additionally, the IPv6 Router Advertisement configuration has been relocated to Services > Router Advertisement as part of the ongoing integration of the Kea DHCP server.

Other changes in version 2.7.1 include the upgrade of PHP to version 8.2.11 and the base operating system to a more recent point of FreeBSD 14-CURRENT. The release also addresses various bugs and issues.

Source: pfSense.

PineBerry Pi has launched the HatDrive! Top M.2 HAT for Raspberry Pi 5, which takes advantage of the FPC PCIe connector. The HatDrive features an M.2 Key-M socket with a PCIe x1 interface, supporting 2230 and 2242 modules. This allows users to install an SSD, AI accelerator, or other compatible M.2 modules. The HAT is connected via a 40mm long 16-pin FPC cable, which supports up to PCIe Gen3. It also utilizes the 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO header for the I2C EEPROM required by compliant HATs, power supply monitoring and diagnostics, and the ability to stack another HAT on top if necessary. The package includes spacer pins, M2.5 screws, a spacer pin for M.2 card mounting, and an optional male-female HAT connector.

Additional specifications of the PineBerry Pi HatDrive include:

• Voltage regulator delivering up to 3A for the 3.3V power rail, compliant with M.2 (NGFF) standard.
• Installation of M.2 disks in 2230 or 2242 format thanks to a dedicated metal bracket (custom CNC made).
• Misc – 2 LED lights for power supply voltage (“PWR”) and M.2 disk activity (“ACT”).
• Power Supply:
  • Via FPC PCIe ribbon (providing a minimum of 5W continuous power)
  • Via 40-pin HAT connector
  • Monitoring – Real-time monitoring and diagnostics of the power supply bus, measuring voltage, current, and power parameters via an I2C interface
• Dimensions – 65 x 56.50 mm (4-layer PCB, Raspberry Pi HAT compliant)

PineBerry Pi is planning to manufacture 5,000 units of the HatDrive and is currently accepting pre-orders for €20, with shipping scheduled to begin in early December.

Additionally, PineBerry Pi offers the “HatDrive! Bottom,” which is larger (90 x 56 mm) and meant to be connected on the bottom side of the Raspberry Pi 5. It supports M.2 2230, 2242, and 2280 NVMe SSDs. The HatDrive! Bottom includes an extra through 5V 4-pin connector as a redundant power supply (up to 2A at 5V). It can be pre-ordered for €25.99.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

XCP-ng has released a new security update for the 8.2 LTS version. The update includes new microcode from Intel to mitigate hardware vulnerabilities. However, it is recommended to update the hardware’s firmware for the best results. The update also addresses security issues related to IOMMU and PV guests in the Xen Project. The fixed vulnerability, CVE-2023-23583, can allow privilege escalation, information disclosure, or denial of service. It affects specific generations of server, desktop, embedded, and mobile processors.

The update also mentions upcoming fixes for XSA-445 and XSA-446 vulnerabilities. XSA-445 can affect hosts if the dom_io feature is enabled, and XSA-446 can bypass certain protections for PV guests. It is recommended to avoid PV guests to avoid any potential impact. The updated microcode for Intel SA is included in the XCP-ng update. The integration of fixes for XSAs will be incorporated in a future release or as needed in the coming days.

Radxa has unveiled a new single-board computer called the Radxa Zero 3E, which is similar to its previously released Radxa Zero 3W model but with a few key differences. Unlike the 3W, the 3E does not support WiFi and Bluetooth but instead features a Gigabit Ethernet port. This means that users can expect a more reliable network connection and faster speeds, as the 3E supports 1 Gbps speeds compared to the 3W’s limited 802.11n speeds of up to 450 Mbps. However, the inclusion of the Ethernet port means that the 3E does not have a wireless chip or optional onboard eMMC storage.

Radxa Zero 3E:

• Processor: Rockchip RK3566 with 4 x Cortex-A55 @ 1.6 GHz and Mali-G52-2EE GPU
• Memory: 1GB / 2GB / 4GB / 8GB LPDDR4
• Storage: microSD card reader
• Connectivity: 1 x Gigabit Ethernet port with PoE support (PoE HAT required)
• USB: 1 x USB 3.0 Type-C Host, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-C OTG
• Display: 1 x micro HDMI (1080p@60fps)
• Camera: 1 x MIPI-CSI
• Other I/O: 40-pin GPIO header
• Dimensions: 70 x 30mm

Radxa Zero 3W:

• Processor: Rockchip RK3566 with 4 x Cortex-A55 @ 1.6 GHz and Mali-G52-2EE GPU
• Memory: 1GB / 2GB / 4GB / 8GB LPDDR4
• Storage: microSD card reader, 8GB / 16GB / 32GB / 64GB eMMC options
• Connectivity: WiFi 4, Bluetooth 5.0
• USB: 1 x USB 3.0 Type-C Host, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-C OTG
• Display: 1 x micro HDMI (1080p@60fps)
• Camera: 1 x MIPI-CSI
• Other I/O: 40-pin GPIO header
• Dimensions: 65 x 30mm

Pricing and availability details for the Radxa Zero 3E have not been announced yet, but the Radxa Zero 3W is expected to be available soon for $15 and up from AllnetChina.

Source: Liliputing, LinuxGizmos.

TrueNAS has introduced the F60 and F100 models as the newest additions to their TrueNAS Enterprise portfolio. These models belong to the high-performance line of all-NVMe systems known as the TrueNAS F-Series. The F-Series is designed to offer maximum performance, reliability, and density for organizations with ultra-demanding workloads. It provides organizations with a new choice for their performance-centric workloads, complementing other models in the TrueNAS portfolio that are optimized for capacity.

The TrueNAS F-Series supports file, block, and object protocols, and offers the rich data management capabilities of OpenZFS. Like other TrueNAS Enterprise appliances, the F-Series can be equipped with iXsystems’ award-winning enterprise support.

The TrueNAS F-Series includes two models:

• F100: This model features up to 24 NVMe Gen4 SSDs per 2U system, providing a storage capacity of 720TB. It offers up to 30GB/s bandwidth per node with 6x 40/100 GbE optical NICs and has a typical power draw of 800W.
• F60: The F60 model also supports up to 24 NVMe Gen4 SSDs per 2U system, with a storage capacity of 720TB. It offers up to 20GB/s bandwidth per node with 4x 40/100 GbE optical NICs and has a typical power draw of 800W.

The TrueNAS F-Series appliances come with the latest version of TrueNAS software, TrueNAS Enterprise 23.10. These all-NVMe models are designed to deliver maximum performance, reliability, and density for the most demanding workloads. Compared to previous models, the F-Series offers significant reductions in all-flash power, space, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

The TrueNAS portfolio also includes the TrueNAS M-Series, which caters to hybrid flash and HDD requirements, and the TrueNAS Mini series. Both the M-Series and F-Series systems run on the same TrueNAS Enterprise 23.10 software, offering compatible features and a common WebUI. All TrueNAS systems can be monitored and managed as a fleet using TrueCommand.