Patches have been submitted to the Linux kernel mailing list to add support for the Milk-V Duo RISC-V development platform, reports Phoronix.

The Milk-V Duo features a CV1800B chip with two C906 processor cores. One core runs at 1GHz, while the second core runs at 700MHz. This dual RISC-V 64-bit chip is paired with 64MB of RAM. There is also an optional 10/100Mbps Ethernet via an add-on board. The board is targeted for use with Linux or RTOS. Interested individuals can learn more about this low-cost RISC-V embedded board on the milkv.io website. The patches for mainline Linux kernel support for the Milk-V Duo are currently under review on the LKML.

Source: Phoronix.

TrueNAS SCALE is introducing a new and improved WebUI in the upcoming Cobia (23.10) release. The first Release Candidate for Cobia was launched on September 19th, and it currently has over 2,000 systems running on it. The official release of 23.10 is scheduled for October. The Cobia release includes significant technical advancements such as the new dRAID “Distributed RAID” pool type, an improved Apps UI, and an integrated bug-reporting process.

The new Cobia WebUI has been rearchitected from the CORE WebUI to provide a simpler interface. It is designed to present only the necessary information on each page, with advanced features hidden by default and additional forms appearing as needed. Initial reviews of this modernized and streamlined UI have been positive.

Major improvements have been made to the WebUI in Cobia, including:

• Improved Apps Screens
• Reimagined ZFS Storage Dashboard
• New and Improved Pool Creation Wizard
• Built-in Feedback and Bug Reporting

The Apps Screens in TrueNAS SCALE have been significantly enhanced. Each App is now effectively a Kubernetes Helm Chart that points to container images and provides configuration information for integrating multiple containers into an application. The new Apps screens offer better-structured access to all Apps based on category, and the new Discovery screens assist with App discovery. The Information screen provides details about each App and its sources, and bulk operations for updating Apps are available.

The ZFS Storage Dashboard in Cobia has also been reimagined to handle larger systems with more than a thousand drives. A new Pool Creation Wizard simplifies the process of creating pools based on available resources, automatically selecting drives for vdevs (drive groups) based on their size. The updated Storage Dashboard provides a simple dashboard to display the status of each pool and allows for the creation of new pools or expansion of existing ones using unassigned disks.

A new Feedback and Bug Reporting system has been introduced with TrueNAS SCALE Cobia RC.1. Users can provide feedback on the design of the page, add important details for their use case, and optionally capture a screenshot of the current page. Bug reports can also be submitted, including a brief summary of the issue and the option to attach debug files. Users will receive a TrueNAS ticket link to monitor the status and resolution of their bug.

While TrueNAS encourages users to try out the early releases of TrueNAS SCALE Cobia and provide feedback, it is recommended to use TrueNAS SCALE 22.12.3.3 for cases where reliability and primary data retention are required. TrueNAS SCALE 22.12.4, which is planned for release in early October, will be the last major update for the 22.12 release branch. TrueNAS SCALE Cobia will gradually become the recommended version in Q4 2023 and beyond.

Users have the option to automatically migrate storage services and VMs from CORE to SCALE, and TrueNAS provides the ability to replace TrueNAS CORE Plugins and jails with Apps. For further advice or answers to questions, users can visit the TrueNAS Community Forums or Discord Channel.

Source: TrueNAS.

In this week’s issue (#39, 2023) of README Highlight, we are taking a look at the following project: Uptime Kuma.

Uptime Kuma is an easy-to-use self-hosted monitoring tool. It allows users to monitor the uptime of various services, including HTTP(s), TCP, HTTP(s) Keyword, HTTP(s) Json Query, Ping, DNS Record, Push, Steam Game Server, and Docker Containers.

Some of the key features of Uptime Kuma include:

• Fancy, Reactive, Fast UI/UX
• Notifications via Telegram, Discord, Gotify, Slack, Pushover, Email (SMTP), and over 90 other notification services
• 20-second intervals for monitoring
• Multi-language support
• Multiple status pages
• Ping chart
• Certificate info
• Proxy support
• 2FA support

Uptime Kuma can be installed using Docker or on a non-Docker environment. For Docker installation, users can run the following command:

docker run -d --restart=always -p 3001:3001 -v uptime-kuma:/app/data --name uptime-kuma louislam/uptime-kuma:1

For non-Docker installation, users need to have node, npm, git, and pm2 installed. They can then clone the Uptime Kuma repository and run the necessary setup commands. Uptime Kuma also provides a Windows Portable (x64) version for easy installation on Windows systems. For more advanced installation options, users can refer to the project’s documentation. To keep Uptime Kuma up to date, users can follow the instructions provided in the project’s documentation.

The Uptime Kuma project has a roadmap and milestones for future development, which can be found on its GitHub page.

The project is sponsored by GitHub Sponsors and OpenCollective sponsors. Users can contribute to the project by testing pull requests, testing beta versions, reporting bugs or requesting features, translating the project into different languages, and creating pull requests.

For more information and to try out Uptime Kuma, visit the Uptime Kuma GitHub repository.

Source: Uptime Kuma README.

Xen Orchestra has released version 5.89. This update brings a range of enhancements and updates to various components, including XO Lite. Let’s dive in and explore the details.

XO Lite

XO Lite has received several enhancements in this release. XO Lite now comes as a standard RPM package within XCP-ng 8.3, making it easier to keep up with updates. Bulk actions for VM migration and snapshot have been introduced, allowing for multiple operations to be executed simultaneously. The pool dashboard now includes a summary of missing patches for XCP-ng hosts, providing better visibility of critical updates.

Backup

Bug fixes and improvements have been made to enhance system resilience and add failsafes for specific scenarios. To prevent unexpected results during VM backup, a lock is now placed on VMs to prevent migration operations. This ensures system integrity and avoids any unpredictable outcomes.

Other Changes

Several quality-of-life enhancements and useful features have been added in this release.

A new feature allows for the download of all host system logs with a simple button press. This comprehensive tarball of logs is valuable for deep investigations. Disk health monitoring has been improved, allowing for the monitoring of disk status via an API call and displaying the information in the Xen Orchestra UI.

Xen Orchestra can now restart the server directly from the UI, providing a handy tool for canceling blocked tasks or unlocking stuck processes. Thin-reclaim for block-based SRs is now supported, allowing for cleaning operations if the SAN supports it.

The task system now logs failed sign-in attempts, providing information about potential brute-force attempts on Xen Orchestra accounts. Host and pool details now include the product brand and version, providing additional information in the UI.

The Xen Orchestra GitHub repository has also undergone cleanup, with a significant reduction in open issues.

The OpenZFS project has released version 2.1.13, of the open-source implementation of the ZFS file system and volume manager. ZFS supports features like data compression, data deduplication, copy-on-write clones, snapshots, and RAID-Z. It also supports the creation of virtual devices.

The new version is compatible with Linux kernels 3.10 to 6.5 and FreeBSD releases starting from 12.2-RELEASE. The release includes various changes and fixes, including improvements for Linux compatibility and bug fixes for issues related to automounted snapshots, L2ARC write size calculation, and memory leaks. The update also includes enhancements for zed, zfs-dkms rpm, and bash completion. Overall, the release brings improved stability and compatibility for users of OpenZFS/ZFS on Linux.

ZFS is a great choice for home servers and use on DIY network attached storage units, and is the file system that TrueNAS uses. It can also run perfectly well on the Raspberry Pi.

See the full release notes here.

The highly anticipated Raspberry Pi 5 has been announced, boasting significant performance improvements and new features. Priced at $60 for the 4GB variant and $80 for the 8GB variant, the Raspberry Pi 5 offers a no-compromises user experience. It features a 2.4GHz quad-core 64-bit Arm Cortex-A76 CPU, a VideoCore VII GPU supporting OpenGL ES 3.1 and Vulkan 1.2, dual 4Kp60 HDMI display output, a 4Kp60 HEVC decoder, and dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi with Bluetooth 5.0. Additionally, it includes two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet with PoE+ support, and a PCIe 2.0 x1 interface for fast peripherals.

In a home lab context, the Raspberry Pi 5 is a powerful and affordable option for enthusiasts to create their own server. The improved performance makes it ideal for running virtual machines, hosting websites, and running containers. With its PCIe 2.0 interface, enthusiasts can connect fast peripherals such as NVMe SSDs, expanding storage capabilities for server applications. The dual 4Kp60 HDMI output and the 4Kp60 HEVC decoder are useful for media server applications, allowing for smooth streaming of high-resolution content. The inclusion of Gigabit Ethernet with PoE+ support further enhances its server capabilities, simplifying power management for networked devices.

For server use enthusiasts, the Raspberry Pi 5 offers a reliable and cost-effective platform for various applications. The improved CPU and GPU performance allow for faster processing and rendering, making it suitable for tasks such as data analysis and media transcoding. The inclusion of a PCIe 2.0 interface opens up possibilities for connecting high-speed peripherals, such as network cards or storage devices, to enhance server performance and expand storage capacity. The dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 support provide flexibility for wireless connectivity options in server setups. Overall, the Raspberry Pi 5’s upgraded specifications make it a compelling choice for enthusiasts looking to build and customize their own server for various server use cases.

The Raspberry Pi 5 is available to pre-order today, and is expected to by the end of October 2023.