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.

Gitea has released version 1.21.0, which includes numerous new features and improvements. The release consists of 962 pull requests and marks the departure of Gitea Actions from the experimental state. Users can download the new version from the Gitea website.

The release includes several breaking changes that may affect users. One change involves moving public asset files to the proper directory. Previously, these files were served under a different directory, causing confusion for users. To resolve this, the default assets folder has been changed, and users with custom asset files will need to transfer them to the new location.

Another breaking change involves the configuration option for SSH authorized keys backup. Previously, this option was set to automatically create backups of the authorized keys file when a new SSH key was added. However, this caused the backup folder to become excessively large on instances with many users. As a result, the default value of this parameter has been changed, and users who still want backups should manually set it to true.

Additionally, the release removes the CHARSET configuration option for MySQL and always uses utf8mb4. Using utf8 as a charset for MySQL can lead to issues, and as Gitea only supports MySQL v5.7+, support for utf8 is no longer necessary. Existing utf8 databases will continue to work, but users are strongly encouraged to convert them to utf8mb4.

The release also includes improvements to Gitea Actions. Several new features have been added, including scheduled workflows, disabling workflows, and downloading raw task logs. Additionally, the admin page has been enhanced with capabilities such as manually rebuilding the issue index and a details page for each user.

Other notable improvements include the ability to select a specific commit range when reviewing a pull request, notifications for recently pushed branches, support for CODEOWNERS files, and the ability to pre-register OAuth2 applications for git credential helpers.

The release also introduces archived labels, a new concept that allows users to retire labels without deleting them. Gitea Actions have received various enhancements, making them a mature component of Gitea. The blame view has been simplified, and it is now possible to retry failed pull mirror creations.

Furthermore, the release includes improvements to the admin page, the ability to see if the CI is currently successful for all branches, and optimizations to reduce database deadlocks.

Looking ahead, Gitea 1.22 is expected to bring changes to the default themes and drop support for older database versions. The default themes will be renamed, and a new dark theme will be introduced. Users are encouraged to update their database versions for compatibility and security.

Overall, the release of Gitea 1.21.0 brings a range of new features and improvements that enhance the functionality and user experience of the platform. Users are encouraged to update to the latest version to take advantage of these enhancements.

Chinese electronics company AOC has introduced a new mini PC called the AOC MOSS 7, featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS processor, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB SSD. Currently, it is available for purchase in China through JD.com for 3799 CNY (approximately $525). The availability of this mini PC outside of China is uncertain, but AOC does sell other mini PCs internationally through AliExpress.

The AOC MOSS 7 has a unique design with rounded edges, resembling a game console or appliance rather than a typical PC. With dimensions of 145 x 115 x 42mm. Although it does not have discrete graphics, it is equipped with Radeon 780M integrated graphics, featuring 12 RDNA 3 compute units, providing graphics capabilities similar to some powerful handheld gaming PCs.

The mini PC offers user-replaceable memory with two SODIMM slots for DDR5 RAM. It also includes a variety of ports, such as 2 x HDMI 2.0, 1 x RJ45 LAN, 1 x USB Type-C, 3 x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x 3.5mm audio, and 1 x DC power input. Active cooling is provided by a fan, and the package includes a 68W power adapter. The MOSS 7 supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.

While the USB-C port should support video output and data transfer, there is no information available regarding whether it is a USB4 port with 40 Gbps speeds. Thus, it remains unclear if the port can be used for external graphics docks or other accessories requiring a higher-speed connection.

Source: Liliputing.