BeagleV-Fire is a new single board computer powered by Microchip PolarFire MPFS025T penta-core RISC-V SoC FPGA. It follows the BeagleBone Black form factor for compatibility with BeagleBone capes expansion boards. The BeagleV-Fire features a Microchip PolarFire MPFS250T FCVG484E SoC FPGA with a penta-core RISC-V CPU, 2GB LPDDR4 system memory, and various storage options including 16GB eMMC and a MicroSD card socket. It also includes a MIPI CSI camera connector, Gigabit Ethernet port, USB 2.0 Type-C port, and multiple expansion options such as M.2 E-Key socket and BeagleBone Cape add-on headers. The board supports Ubuntu and comes with preinstalled Linux for easy setup. The BeagleV-Fire is available for $149 and can be purchased from various distributors. More information can be found on the official product page.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

The maker of the ZimaBoard and ZimaBlade single-board computers, Icewhale Technology, is set to launch a new product called the ZimaCube. The ZimaCube is a “personal cloud” computer that functions as a network-attached storage (NAS) device, offering users a choice between two processor options: N100 or Core i5-1235U.

The ZimaCube boasts several special features that make it more than just a NAS device. It supports up to six hard drives, up to four 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports, and up to 64GB of RAM. The retail prices for the ZimaCube are expected to start at $699, but Icewhale Technology will be launching a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign on November 3, with Early Bird rewards starting at $499 for an entry-level model.

The starting price of $499 is for a model equipped with an energy-efficient 6-watt N100 chip based on Alder Lake N architecture. Customers who want a higher-performance version, the ZimaCube Pro, with a 15-watt Core i5 chip will have to pay $899 or more during the crowdfunding campaign, or $1,199 at retail.

The ZimaCube Pro not only features a more powerful processor but also supports up to twice as much RAM, has twice as many Ethernet ports, supports PCIe Gen 4, and includes two Thunderbolt 4 ports, among other things.

The ZimaCube is more expensive than entry-level QNAP or Synology NAS devices, but it offers a high level of flexibility in terms of storage, expansion options, and software support.

Here are the specifications for the ZimaCube and ZimaCube Pro:

ZimaCube:

• Processor: N100 (4-cores / 4-threads, up to 3.4 GHz, 6W TDP)
• RAM: 8GB DDR4 (included), 32GB max (16GB x 2)
• Storage: 256GB SSD (included), 6 x SATA III bays (2.5" or 3.5" drives), 2 x M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe slots
• PCIe: 1 x PCIe Gen 3 x4
• USB: 1 x USB 3.0 Gen 1 Type-C, 4 x USB 3.0 Gen 1 Type-A, 2 x USB 2.0 Type-A
• Ethernet: 2 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet
• Video out: HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4
• Power: 220W (100V - 240V)
• OS: TrueNAS, ZimaOS
• Cooling: Active cooling, 2 x 80 x 80mm fans
• Dimensions: 240 x 221 x 220mm, 9.45" x 8.7" x 8.7"
• Weight: 5.4 kg, 11.9 pounds

ZimaCube Pro:

• Processor: Core i5-1235U (10-cores / 12-threads, up to 4.4 GHz, 15W TDP)
• RAM: 16GB DDR5 (included), 64GB max (32GB x 2)
• Storage: 256GB SSD (included), 6 x SATA III bays (2.5" or 3.5" drives), 2 x PCIe NVMe SSD slots, 4 x additional NVMe slots
• PCIe: 1 x PCIe Gen 4 x16, 1 x PCIe Gen 4 x4
• USB: 2 x Thunderbolt 4 / USB-C, 6 x USB 3.0 Gen 1 Type-A
• Ethernet: 4 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet
• Video out: HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4
• Power: 220W (100V - 240V)
• OS: TrueNAS, ZimaOS
• Cooling: Active cooling, 2 x 80 x 80mm fans
• Dimensions: 240 x 221 x 220mm, 9.45" x 8.7" x 8.7"
• Weight: 5.4 kg, 11.9 pounds

The ZimaCube offers a compelling option for users interested in servers, Linux, DevOps, and home labs. With its range of features and storage options, it provides a versatile solution for personal cloud computing and networking needs.

Source: Liliputing.

Cloud Hypervisor, an open source Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM), has announced the release of version v36.0. This VMM runs on top of the KVM hypervisor and the Microsoft Hypervisor (MSHV) and is designed to run modern cloud workloads on common hardware architectures.

The project focuses on enabling customers to run cloud workloads inside a Cloud Service Provider, utilizing modern operating systems with paravirtualized devices (such as virtio) for efficient I/O, 64-bit CPUs, and no requirement for legacy devices.

Cloud Hypervisor is implemented in Rust and is based on the Rust VMM crates. The v36.0 release includes several user-visible changes and improvements:

Command Line Changes

The project has switched back to using the clap crate to create the command line interface, as the previous argh crate was not being actively maintained. This switch has resulted in syntax changes, such as using --option=value instead of --option value.

Enabled Features Reported via API Endpoint and CLI

Users can now query the enabled features of the running Cloud Hypervisor instance through the API endpoint (/vmm.ping) and the CLI (--version -v).

NUMA Support for PCI Segments

The --numa command has been updated with a new option pci_segment=, allowing users to define the relationship between PCI segments and NUMA nodes. Examples of usage can be found in the memory documentation.

CPU Topology Support on AMD Platforms

The CPU topology on x86_64 platforms now supports multiple vendors, providing improved flexibility and compatibility.

Unix Socket Backend for Serial Port

The --serial command has been enhanced with a new option socket=, enabling users to access the serial port using a Unix socket.

AIO Backend for Block Devices

An AIO (Asynchronous Input/Output) backend has been added for virtio-block devices, improving block device performance when the io_uring feature is not supported by the host operating system.

Documentation Improvements

The release includes various documentation improvements, including a new document for collecting coverage data and various typo fixes.

Notable Bug Fixes

Several notable bug fixes have been included in this release, including a fix for a deadlock issue when TDX (Intel Total Memory Encryption Extension) is enabled, a correction of the default value for vCPU topology on AArch64, and ensuring that AMX (Advanced Matrix Extensions) feature bits are only advertised to guests when the AMX CPU feature is enabled.

AMD has released its latest mobile chips, the Ryzen 5 7545U and Ryzen 3 7440U, which are the first laptop processors to feature AMD’s new Zen 4c CPU cores. These cores were previously seen in the EPYC server chips and the entry-level AMD Ryzen Z1 chip for handheld gaming PCs. The Zen 4c cores offer most of the same features as Zen 4 cores but take up less space and run at lower speeds. AMD claims that the Zen 4c cores take up 35% less physical space than Zen 4, allowing for more cores in the same amount of space or the same number of cores in a smaller space.

The Ryzen 5 7545U and Ryzen 3 7440U chips replace the previous Ryzen 5 7540U and Ryzen 3 7440U Phoenix chips. The new chips still have the same number of CPU cores (6 for Ryzen 5 and 4 for Ryzen 3), but now some of those cores are Zen 4c chips, which should bring efficiency improvements and similar performance at lower power levels. The top speeds for the Zen 4c cores are not known, but they are estimated to be about 30% slower than Zen 4 cores.

The updated Ryzen 7040U lineup includes the following chips:

• Ryzen 7 7840U: 8 x Zen 4 cores, 8 / 16 cores / threads, 3.3 GHz / 5.1 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 24MB cache, Radeon 780M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.
• Ryzen 5 7640U: 6 x Zen 4 cores, 6 / 12 cores / threads, 3.5 GHz / 4.9 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 22MB cache, Radeon 760M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.
• Ryzen 5 7540U: 6 x Zen 4 cores, 6 / 12 cores / threads, 3.2 GHz / 4.9 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 22MB cache, Radeon 740M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.
• Ryzen 5 7545U: 2 x Zen 4 cores, 4 x Zen 4c cores, 6 / 12 cores / threads, 3.2 GHz / 4.9 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 22MB cache, Radeon 740M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.
• Ryzen 3 7440U (old): 4 x Zen 4 cores, 4 / 8 cores / threads, 3 GHz / 4.7 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 12MB cache, Radeon 740M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.
• Ryzen 3 7440U (new): 1 x Zen 4 core, 3 x Zen 4c cores, 4 / 8 cores / threads, 3 GHz / 4.7 GHz base / boost CPU frequency, 12MB cache, Radeon 740M graphics, DDR5 / LPDDR5 RAM, USB4 support, 15-30W TDP.

Source: Liliputing.

OpenELA, the Open Enterprise Linux association formed by SUSE, Oracle, and CIQ (Rocky Linux) in response to Red Hat’s decision to limit access to the RHEL source code, has published the initial source code for building RHEL derivatives. This move aims to ensure compatibility with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and provide open and free access to EL source code.

The source code for all packages necessary to build Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 derivatives is now available through OpenELA. However, the sources for EL7 are still being worked on. The OpenELA source code can be accessed on GitHub. More information about today’s source availability can be found on the OpenELA website.

Source: Phoronix.

Here are the new additions to the awesome-selfhosted repository during the month of October 2023:

• inlets - Expose your local endpoints to the Internet - with a Kubernetes integration, Docker image and CLI available. (Source Code) ⊘ Proprietary Go/Docker
• Servas - A self-hosted bookmark management tool. It allows organization with tags, groups, and a list specifically for later access. It supports multiple users with 2FA. Companion browser extensions are available for Firefox and Chrome. (Clients) GPL-3.0 Docker/Nodejs/PHP Software and tools to help with resource and supply planning, including enterprise resource and supply planning (ERP).
• Cluster Control - Setup many databases in few clicks with monitoring, load balancing and more. ⊘ Proprietary deb/Ansible/Shell/Docker
• Dashpress - Generate fully functional admin apps in seconds from your database information, with a single command. (Demo) AGPL-3.0 Nodejs/Docker
• Galette - Galette is a membership management web application towards non profit organizations. (Source Code) GPL-3.0 PHP
• rs-short - A lightweight link shortener written in Rust, with features such as caching, spambot protection and phishing detection. (Demo) MPL-2.0 Rust
• BrowserStack Automate TurboScale - Scalable browser automation grid on your cloud (AWS, GCP and Azure) supporting Selenium and Playwright. ⊘ Proprietary Docker
• OctoBot - Open-source cryptocurrency trading bot. (Source Code) GPL-3.0 Python/Docker Video surveillance, also known as Closed-circuit television (CCTV), is the use of video cameras for surveillance in areas that require additional security or ongoing monitoring.
• Owncast - Decentralized single-user live video streaming and chat server for running your own live streams similar in style to the large mainstream options. (Source Code) MIT Go
• CNCjs - A web-based interface for CNC milling controller running Grbl, Smoothieware, or TinyG. (Source Code) MIT Nodejs Software to manage 3D printers, CNC machines and other physical manufacturing tools.
• Fluidd - Lightweight & responsive user interface for Klipper, the 3D printer firmware. (Source Code) GPL-3.0 Docker/Nodejs
• Mainsail - A modern and responsive user interface for the Klipper 3D printer firmware. Control and monitor your printer from everywhere, from any device. (Source Code) GPL-3.0 Docker/Python
• Octoprint - A snappy web interface for controlling consumer 3D printers. (Source Code) AGPL-3.0 Docker/Python
• Deluge - Lightweight, cross-platform BitTorrent client. (Source Code) GPL-3.0 Python/deb
• Specifically Clementines - Grocery shopping app (previously Groceries), providing reliable sync with multiple users/devices (web/Android/iOS), recipes and integration with Tandoor. (Demo, Source Code) MIT Docker

awesome-selfhosted is a repository on GitHub, which contains ton of software for you to self-host. The repository describes itself as “a list of Free Software network services and web applications which can be hosted on your own servers.”