Netmaker has announced the release of version v0.22.0 of its WireGuard mesh VPN software. One of the key features of Netmaker is its ability to automate virtual networks between data centers, clouds, and edge devices. This eliminates the need for manual configuration and allows for easy scalability.

The latest version introduces several new features and improvements. Some of the highlights include:

• Revamped Internet Gateways
• MQ fallback
• Deprecating TURN in favor of failover hosts on Pro
• Switch to CoreDNS for DNS resolution
• DNS is no longer managed with the OS hosts file (/etc/hosts file)
• Added support for RAC on mobile

In addition to the new features, version v0.22.0 also addresses several bugs and issues found in previous versions. Some of the fixes include:

• Expired nodes not getting deleted
• nmctl acl subcommand leading to a dirty state
• Enforce private network ranges
• Minor bugs and enhancements with user management
• Scalability issues

OpenWrt developers are partnering with Banana Pi to develop the OpenWrt One/AP-24.XY router board. OpenWrt is a lightweight embedded Linux operating system that supports close to 1,800 routers and other devices. However, this will be the first router board developed directly by OpenWrt.

The board will be based on the MediaTek MT7981B (Filogic 820) SoC and MediaTek MT7976C dual-band WiFi 6 chipset. The preliminary specifications for the OpenWrt One/AP-24.XY board include a dual-core Cortex-A53 processor, 1GB of DDR4 memory, 128 MB of SPI NAND flash, 4 MB of SPI NOR flash, 2.5GbE and Gigabit Ethernet ports, dual-band Wi-Fi 6, USB 2.0 and USB Type-C ports, and a MikroBUS socket for expansion modules.

The stated goal is to keep the price of the board under $100. The OpenWrt One/AP-24.XY router board is expected to be launched in 2024. The schematics will be publicly available under an open-source license.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

The Qotom Q20332G9-S10 is a fanless mini PC that can be sued as a router, due to the fact that it features four 10GbE SFP+ cages and five 2.5GbE RJ45 ports, making it a suitable network appliance. The system is powered by an Atom C3758R Denverton Refresh eight-core processor.

In terms of specifications, the Qotom Q20332G9-S10 supports up to 64GB DDR4 memory and has two M.2 NVMe SSD sockets, as well as two 2.5-inch SATA bays for storage. It also includes one extra M.2 socket for cellular connectivity and several USB ports. The system is equipped with a VGA port for video output.

The Qotom Q20332G9-S10 comes with a 12V/5A power supply and a VESA mount. It can be purchased as a barebone system or with pre-installed RAM and SSD. It is available for around $300 on Amazon and Aliexpress in its barebone configuration, with variants offering up to 64GB RAM and 2TB SSD.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

Firefly has launched the EXT-2.5GE-RK3588-RT, a 2.5GbE Ethernet Expansion Board for the ROC-RK3588-RT Rockchip RK3588 SBC. The ROC-RK3588-RT SBC already features three Ethernet ports, making it ideal for routers and firewalls. The EXT-2.5GE-RK3588-RT adds four more 2.5GbE ports to the SBC, bringing the total number of Ethernet ports to seven with five 2.5GbE and two GbE RJ45 jacks. The board uses the RTL8125BG IC for Ethernet control and the PI6C557-05 IC as a spectrum clock generator.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

MediaTek has introduced two new WiFi 7 chipsets, the Filogic 860 and Filogic 360, targeting mainstream routers and client devices. The Filogic 860 features a tri-core Arm Cortex-A73 SoC designed for up to BE7200 routers and gateways, while the Filogic 360 is a WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 chip designed for smartphones, PCs, laptops, set-top boxes, and OTT streaming boxes, offering up to 2.9 Gbps bandwidth.

The Filogic 860 and Filogic 360 chipsets provide more cost-effective alternatives to the previously introduced Filogic 880 SoC for up to BE36000 routers and Filogic 380 clients chip, which can achieve up to 6.5 Gbps PHY data rate.

MediaTek Filogic 860 Specifications:

• CPU – 3x Arm Cortex-A73 cores clocked at up to 1.8 GHz
• Network Processing Unit (NPU) – Hardware QoS acceleration and Tunneling Offload Engine for VLAN / PPTP / L2TP / GRE
• Networking Crypto engine (EIP-197) – For IPv4 NATP / IPv6 / DS-Lite / 6RD acceleration
• Memory I/F – DDR3, DDR4
• Storage I/F – SPI-NOR, SPI-NAND, eMMC, SD
• Networking
  • Wi-Fi 7 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be)
    • Up to 7.2 Gbps (BE7200) PHY performance
    • Tri-band support – 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
    • Key Features – BW40 (2.4Ghz), BW160 (5/6GHz), 4096-QAM, MLO, MRU, and AFC
    • Antenna – 4×4 (2.4GHz) + 5×5 (5/6GHz); Filogic Xtra range to boost receiving distance using an extra antenna
  • Ethernet
    • 1x 10GbE (USXGMII)
    • 1x 2.5GbE PHY
    • 4x 1GbE interfaces
• USB – 2x USB 3.2 up to 5 Gbps each
• PCIe – PCIe 3.0 up to 10 Gbps
• Other I/Os – UART, SPI, PWM, GPIO and OTP

The Filogic 860 is expected to be used in WiFi 7 enterprise access points, service provider Ethernet gateways, mesh nodes, retail routers, and IoT router applications. Although software support details are not provided, MediaTek is likely to offer support for Linux-based distributions such as OpenWrt and/or Debian.

MediaTek Filogic 360 Specifications:

• Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 7 (802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be)
  • Tri-band – 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
  • Antenna – 2×2 triple-band
  • Max Throughput – Up to 2.9Gbps
  • Wi-Fi 7 Features – Up to 160MHz BW, 4096-QAM, Hybrid MLO (eMLSR), MRU
• Bluetooth Dual 5.4, LE Audio
• MediaTek Bluetooth and Wi-Fi coexistence technology
• Single chip with RF, Baseband, MAC, iFEM
• Host interface – PCI Express 2.1 or USB 3.0

The MediaTek Filogic 860 and Filogic 360 WiFi 7 chipsets are currently available for sampling to customers, with mass production scheduled for mid-2024. Therefore, routers, gateways, and client devices utilizing these new chips are expected to hit the market in the second half of 2024. More information can be found on the respective product pages and in the press release.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

Netmaker, a tool that creates networks using WireGuard, has released version v0.21.2. This tool automates the creation of fast, secure, and distributed virtual networks. Netmaker leverages Kernel WireGuard, which provides maximum speed, performance, and security for the virtual networks it creates.

The latest release, v0.21.2, brings several improvements and fixes to Netmaker. Some of the new features include auto relay via enrollment key and improvements in local routing.

In terms of fixes, the release addresses an inconsistency in DNS entries for networks, ensures validation of unique network CIDR, fixes caching discrepancies in extclient, resolves issues with deleted node peer updates when disconnected from the network, and adds a force deletion option for daemon nodes stuck in the removing state.

However, there are a few known issues with this release. The Windows installer does not install WireGuard, and the netclient-gui may continuously display an error dialog if the Netmaker server is offline. Additionally, there are IPv6 address and route issues on Mac, and the network tab in netclient-gui may appear blank after disconnecting.

Overall, Netmaker’s latest release offers improved functionality and fixes for a smoother experience in creating virtual networks with WireGuard.