Hardkernel has released the ODROID-M1S, a smaller and more cost-effective single-board computer (SBC) compared to the previously launched ODROID-M1. Designed to commemorate Hardkernel’s 15th anniversary, the ODROID-M1S is priced at $49 and up and features the Rockchip RK3566 system-on-a-chip (SoC).

The ODROID-M1S SBC comes with the Rockchip RK3566 SoC, which is similar to the RK3568 but with fewer peripheral interfaces. The board offers 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4 memory, a 64GB eMMC flash soldered onto the board, HDMI 2.0 and MIPI DSI video interfaces, gigabit Ethernet, a few USB ports, and two GPIO headers. However, compared to the ODROID-M1, the ODROID-M1S does have some feature losses, such as a lower-speed memory, PCIe 2.1 support, the removal of the SPI flash and SATA port, and the MIPI CSI camera connector. The power supply has also been changed from a 12V DC jack to a 5V USB-C port.

Here are the specifications of the ODROID-M1S with the differences from the ODROID-M1 highlighted:

• SoC – Rockchip RK3566 quad-core Cortex-A55 processor @ up to 1.8 GHz with Arm Mali-G52 MP2 GPU @ 800 MHz and 0.8 TOPS AI accelerator
• System Memory – 4GB or 8GB LPDDR4 RAM at 2112 MT/s or up to 1,055 MHz
• Storage
  • 64GB eMMC flash (soldered on PCB) benchmarked at up to 180MB/s with fio
  • MicroSD card slot (UHS-I SDR104, boot priority higher than eMMC flash)
  • M.2 NVMe M-Key 2280 socket (2-lane PCIe 2.1) benchmarked at up to 400MB/s with fio
• Video Output
  • 1x HDMI 2.0 port up to 4Kp60 with HDR and EDID
  • 4-lane MIPI DSI connector (30-pin, while ODROID M1 has a 31-pin connector)
• Audio – 3.5mm headphone jack, mono speaker output (1.3W at 8Ω load)
• Networking – Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 port via Realtek RTL8211F Ethernet transceiver
• USB
  • 1x USB 3.0 port
  • 1x USB 2.0 port
  • 1x Micro USB 2.0 OTG port
• Expansion – 40-pin GPIO header + 14-pin GPIO header (both headers optional)

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

AMD has unveiled its latest addition to the Zen 4 family, the Ryzen Embedded 7000 series processors. These socketed CPUs are designed for embedded and edge applications in the 60~105 Watt space. The Ryzen Embedded 7000 series processors offer significant improvements over the previous generation Ryzen Embedded 5000 series parts. They feature up to 12 cores and 24 threads, TDPs ranging from 65 to 105 Watts, support for DDR5-5200 ECC memory, up to 28 lanes on-chip for PCIe Gen5, and integrated RDNA2 graphics. AMD is committed to providing up to seven years of support for these processors. Linux, particularly Ubuntu, is the preferred operating system for these embedded processors.

The Ryzen Embedded 7000 series processors come with a range of models, from the Ryzen Embedded 7645 to the Ryzen Embedded 7700X. The flagship model, the Ryzen Embedded 7945, is a 65 Watt part with 12 cores, 24 threads, a base frequency of 3.7GHz, a boost frequency of 5.4GHz, and 64MB L3 cache. Unfortunately, there are no technical benchmarks available yet, but AMD claims significant performance advantages over Intel Raptor Lake on Windows.

The chipset options for the Ryzen Embedded 7000 series are the X600, B650, and X670. It is worth noting that these processors do not have Ryzen AI, although there is a possibility that future generations may support it on Linux.

Overall, the AMD Ryzen Embedded 7000 series processors offer a powerful and efficient solution for embedded and edge applications. With their improved performance and support for Linux, they are likely to find popularity in the embedded space.

Source: Phoronix.

In The MagPi 134, Alasdair Allan, Head of Documentation, expressed excitement about the possibility of low-power NAS boxes utilizing the M.2 HAT on the Raspberry Pi 5. Here are the basic steps for setting up a file server.

01. Software setup

Begin by installing Samba onto Raspberry Pi OS with the following command:

sudo apt install samba samba-common-bin

To ensure compatibility with other operating systems, install NTFS for the shared drive:

sudo apt install ntfs-3g

02. Storage setup

While an external hard drive is typically used, using an SSD drive is similar. Plug in the SSD drive, format it if necessary, and mount it to Raspberry Pi OS. To automount the drive on boot, edit the fstab file with the command sudo nano /etc/fstab and add a line similar to the following:

/dev/sdb1 /mnt/location ntfs nls-utf8,umask-0222,uid-1000,gid-1000,rw 0 0

03. Configuration

The Samba configuration file is where the magic happens, allowing you to open up shared storage to the network. Here is an example configuration:

[share]
Comment = Network share
Path = /mnt/location
Browseable = yes
Writeable = yes
only guest = no
create mask = 0777
directory mask = 0777
Public = yes
Guest ok = yes

By following these steps, you can build a file server using the Raspberry Pi 5 and take advantage of its new features for a more efficient NAS setup.

Source: News - Raspberry Pi.

MINISFORUM has launched the EliteMini UM780 XTX, a compact featuring an AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS processor pushed to 70 watts, a notable increase from its standard 35-54 watt operation. Priced at a promotional rate of $479 for the base model and $629 for a version with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, the listed prices represent a launch promotion with a standard starting price of $579. The UM780 XTX shares similarities with the UM790 XTX, showcased in China earlier, which is expected to feature a slightly more powerful Ryzen 9 7940HS processor.

Under the hood, the UM780 XTX boasts two SODIMM slots supporting up to 96GB of DDR5-5600 memory and two M.2 2280 slots for PCIe 4.0 solid-state drives. It includes an M.2 2230 wireless card supporting WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5. The magnetic top cover, removable for easy access, features an RGB light panel that can be customized or disabled through BIOS settings.

Connectivity options include 1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 2 x USB4 (with DisplayPort Alt Mode and USB Power Delivery), 1 x Oculink, 2 x 2.5 GbE Ethernet, 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, and 1 x 3.5mm audio. Notably, the two USB4 ports support 40 Gbps data transfer speeds, while the Oculink port can handle speeds up to 63 Gbps.

Additional features comprise an enhanced cooling system with liquid metal applied to the CPU, active cooling via a fan, and a TDP boost for the AMD processor. The UM780 XTX supports two power modes: a Balanced mode with a TDP configured to a maximum of 54 watts and a Performance mode allowing operation at up to 70 watts for improved sustained performance.

Source: Liliputing.

In this week’s issue of README Highlight (#45, 2023), we are taking a look at the following project: Rclone.

Rclone is a command-line program designed to sync files and directories to and from various cloud storage providers. It is often referred to as “rsync for cloud storage.” This powerful tool is especially useful for those interested in servers, Linux, DevOps, and home labs.

One of the standout features of Rclone is its extensive list of storage providers. It supports a wide range of providers, including popular options like Amazon S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, and many more. In fact, the list of supported providers is so extensive that it is best to refer to the full list on the Rclone website for complete details.

In addition to its broad support for storage providers, Rclone offers a variety of features to enhance file syncing and management. Some of these features include:

• MD5/SHA-1 hashes checked at all times for file integrity
• Preservation of timestamps on files
• Partial syncs for individual files
• Copy mode to only copy new or changed files
• Sync mode to make directories identical
• Check mode to verify file hash equality
• Ability to sync between different cloud accounts
• Optional large file chunking, compression, and encryption
• FUSE mount for easy access to remote files
• Multi-threaded downloads for faster transfers
• Ability to serve files over HTTP/WebDAV/FTP/SFTP/DLNA

Rclone provides detailed documentation and installation instructions on its official website. The website also includes a helpful FAQ section, a forum for community support, and a changelog to keep users informed of updates.

For those interested in trying out Rclone, the program is available for download from the official downloads page. Rclone is free software released under the MIT license.

Rclone is a versatile and powerful tool for managing files and syncing data across various cloud storage providers. Its extensive list of storage providers, robust features, and active community make it a top choice for those working with servers, Linux, DevOps, and home labs.

Please note that this summary is based on the information provided in the Rclone README. For more detailed information and the latest updates, it is recommended to visit the official Rclone website.

Firefly has released the ROC-RK3588-RT, a single-board computer (SBC) powered by the Rockchip RK3588(J) processor. The SBC is designed for networking applications such as routers and firewalls, and it comes with one 2.5GbE port and two gigabit Ethernet ports. It is available in both commercial and industrial temperature grades.

The Firefly ROC-RK3588-RT is not limited to networking applications, as it also features three video output interfaces (2x HDMI and USB-C DisplayPort), M.2 sockets for a SATA or NVMe SSD, a WiFi 6/Bluetooth 5.2 module, a 6 TOPS NPU embedded in the Rockchip processor, and a non-standard expansion connector with PCIe Gen 3 and other interfaces.

The specifications of the Firefly ROC-RK3588-RT include:

• SoC: Rockchip RK3588 or Rockchip RK3588J
• System Memory: 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB LPDDR4/LPDDR4x/LPDDR5
• Storage: 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB eMMC flash, M.2 SATA/PCIe 2242 NVMe SSD, MicroSD card slot
• Video Output: HDMI 2.1 up to 8Kp60, HDMI 2.0 up to 4Kp60, USB-C port for DisplayPort 1.4 up to 8Kp30
• Networking: 2.5GbE RJ45 ports, 2x gigabit Ethernet RJ45 ports, optional WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 via M.2 E-Key 2230 socket
• USB: 1x USB 3.0 port, 1x USB 2.0 port, 1x USB-C 3.0 OTG port with DisplayPort Alt mode
• Expansion: M.2 SATA/PCIe 2242 socket for SSD, M.2 E-Key 2230 socket for WiFi and Bluetooth module, 60-pin “BTB” connector with PCIe Gen 3, UART, USB, CAN bus, SARADC, GPIOs
• Power Supply: 12V DC via 5.5/2.1mm power barrel jack
• Dimensions: 108.48 x 74.98mm
• Temperature Range: Commercial (-20°C to +60°C), Industrial (-40°C to 85°C)
• Humidity: 10% to 90% RH non-condensing

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.