Argo CD, a declarative, GitOps continuous delivery tool for Kubernetes, has announced the release of version v2.9.0. This release includes a total of 368 contributions from 144 contributors, with 73 new features and 59 bug fixes.

Features

• Retry logic for Kubernetes client
• Grace period for repository errors
• Examples added to help output for admin.go file
• Examples added to help output for argocd_server.go file
• ‘Both’ option added for uibannerposition
• PKCE authentication flow for web logins
• Example added for generate-allow-list command
• Examples added to help output for get KEYID command
• Examples added to help output for “gpg_list” command
• Examples added to help output for remaining “create PROJECT ROLE-NAME” commands
• Examples added to argocd proj role cli family
• Admin-app-example added to cli
• Project flag added to avoid permission denied errors on 404
• Notification secrets exposed for request payload templating
• Git requests made configurable
• Write back added to application informer
• Print stderr output from command even on success
• Examples added to help output for “list PROJECT” command
• Examples added to help output for “gpg add” command
• Recursive Helm Values files detection in UI
• Rate limited queue implemented
• Examples added to help output for remaining “get APPNAME” commands
• Repocred-list-example added to cli
• Cluster-list-example added to cli
• Examples added to help output for “delete PROJECT ROLE-NAME” command
• Examples added to projectwindows.go
• Iammanager.keikoproj.io/Iamrole health check added
• Examples added to help output for “generate-spec PROJECT” command
• Repo-example added to cli
• Examples added to help output for “set APPNAME” command
• Examples added to help output for “logs APPNAME” command
• Example added to argocd relogin command
• Examples added to help output for all “argocd proj” commands
• Example added to help output for bcrypt command
• fromYaml and fromYamlArray toYaml functions added to appset
• Example added to help output for app actions command
• Examples added to help output for remaining “argocd account” commands
• Examples added to help output for remaining “argocd repocreds” commands
• Example added to help output for context command
• Individual e2e tests retried in CI
• ignoreApplicationDifferences added to appset
• PushSecret health status and force-sync action implemented
• AnsibleJob CRD health checks implemented
• Patches field added to Kustomize
• Support for AzureDevops Webhooks added to appset
• Dynamic rebalancing of clusters across shards implemented
• Tree option added to output flag for app sync, app wait, and app rollback commands
• Automatically apply extension configs without restarting API-Server
• Patch_ms and setop_ms timings added to reconciliation logs
• Button added for wrapping lines in pod logs viewer
• Option added to output flag for app get and app resources commands for tree view
• Appset preserve labels and global preserve fields added
• Haproxy metrics enabled through helm Chart
• Shorthand flags added for follow and container in app logs command
• ARGOCD_CLUSTER_CACHE_LIST_PAGE_BUFFER_SIZE environment variable added
• RBAC validation command now takes either namespace or policy-file
• Timezone added to projectwindows list
• Dark theme improvements in UI
• Auto-sync now handles ‘another operation is already in progress’ error
• ApplicationSet now deletes Application status
• Various bug fixes and improvements implemented

For the full changelog and more information, please visit the release-2.8…v2.9.0 comparison.

K3s, a lightweight and highly available certified Kubernetes distribution, has released version v1.28.3+k3s2. This version is designed for production workloads in resource-constrained and remote locations, as well as inside IoT appliances. K3s comes as a single binary that is less than 70MB in size, making it easy to install, run, and auto-update a production Kubernetes cluster.

The latest release updates Kubernetes to version v1.28.3 and addresses several issues. Some of the changes since v1.28.3+k3s1 include:

• Restoration of selinux context systemd unit file
• Update of channel to v1.27.7+k3s1
• Bump of Sonobuoy version
• Bump of Trivy version
• Fix for accessing outer scope .SystemdCgroup, which resolves issues with starting with nvidia-container-runtime
• Upgrade of traefik chart to v25.0.0
• Update of traefik to fix registry value
• Improvement to not use iptables-save/iptables-restore if it will corrupt rules

The components and versions included in this release are as follows:

• Kubernetes v1.28.3
• Kine v0.10.3
• SQLite 3.42.0
• Etcd v3.5.9-k3s1
• Containerd v1.7.7-k3s1
• Runc v1.1.8
• Flannel v0.22.2
• Metrics-server v0.6.3
• Traefik v2.10.5
• CoreDNS v1.10.1
• Helm-controller v0.15.4
• Local-path-provisioner v0.0.24

For more information on the release and its features, refer to the Kubernetes release notes.

Overall, this new release of K3s brings important updates and fixes to enhance the performance and reliability of Kubernetes clusters in production environments.

Source: K3s

Netgate has announced the Release Candidate (RC) of pfSense CE software version 2.7.1. This open-source project, supported by Netgate since 2008, is a widely-used firewall and routing platform. The RC release is an opportunity for users to try out the new version and provide feedback.

The major changes and features in pfSense CE software version 2.7.1 include:

1. Upgraded OpenSSL to version 3.0.12: This upgrade was necessary as OpenSSL 1.1.1 has reached its End of Life and will no longer receive security patches. The upgrade removes older and weaker encryption and hash algorithms, improving security.

2. Kea DHCP added as an opt-in feature: The Kea DHCP server is now available as an optional feature. While it is not feature complete in this version, users can switch to Kea DHCP by navigating to the System > Advanced menu and changing the DHCP Options to “Kea DHCP”. However, switching to Kea DHCP may result in the ignoring of assigned hostnames and dynamic lease registration in DNS.

3. Improved support for SCTP: Support for SCTP in firewall rules, NAT, and logging has been enhanced. Users can now filter SCTP packets by port number, in addition to source and destination address.

4. IPv6 Router Configuration moved: The IPv6 Router Advertisement configuration has been relocated to Services > Router Advertisement as part of the integration with the Kea DHCP server.

Other changes in this release include upgrading PHP to version 8.2.11, upgrading the base operating system to a more recent point of FreeBSD 14-CURRENT, and addressing various bugs and issues.

Testing of the RC software release is crucial to ensure its reliability and robustness for all users. Netgate encourages users to download and test the release candidate, and provide feedback on any issues they encounter.

To install the upgrade, users can follow the detailed Upgrade Guide available in the pfSense documentation. It is recommended to back up the pfSense CE configuration prior to the upgrade. The upgrade can be performed through the web interface by navigating to System > Update and setting the Branch to “Next Stable Version (2.7.1-RC)”.

The Geniatech XPI-3566-Zero is a new Raspberry Pi Zero clone that offers improved specifications and features. While most Raspberry Pi clones mimic the larger Raspberry Pi Model B, the XPI-3566-Zero takes inspiration from the smaller Raspberry Pi Zero.

The Geniatech XPI-3566-Zero has a similar form factor to the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, measuring 65 x 30mm. However, it boasts a faster processor, enhanced wireless connectivity, built-in eMMC storage, and support for more RAM.

In terms of processing power, the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W is equipped with a 1 GHz Broadcom BCM2710A1 quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor with VideoCore IV graphics. In contrast, the XPI-3566-Zero features a more powerful 1.8 GHz ARM Cortex-A55 processor and Mali-G52 2EE graphics. The chip also includes a neural processing unit with up to 1 TOPS of AI performance.

Like the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, the Geniatech XPI-3566-Zero includes a mini HDMI port for video output, a MIPI-CSI camera connector, and a 40-pin GPIO header. However, it deviates from the Raspberry Pi design with two USB-C ports instead of micro USB ports.

The XPI-3566-Zero supports WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0, offering improved wireless connectivity compared to the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W’s WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 4.2. The entry-level model of the Geniatech board comes with 512MB of LPDDR4 memory and 8GB of eMMC flash storage, but it can be configured with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

One notable difference is that the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W has a microSD card reader, which the Geniatech XPI-3566-Zero lacks.

Overall, the Geniatech XPI-3566-Zero offers an attractive alternative to the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, with a more powerful processor, improved wireless capabilities, and expanded memory and storage options.

Source: Liliputing.

Element announced that they will be forking Synapse and Dendrite, two long-standing projects in the Matrix community. This news has raised questions and concerns, but the Foundation is committed to addressing them and finding a way forward together.

Synapse and Dendrite have been around since 2014 and 2017, predating both the Foundation and Element. Element, the creators of Matrix, invested in the development of these projects and transferred them to the Foundation when it was formed. While individual contributors retained their copyright, Element assigned the projects to the Foundation. Both projects are licensed under the permissive ALv2 license, but Element’s forks will now use the reciprocal AGPLv3 license with a Contributor License Agreement (CLA).

Since 2019, the Foundation has been responsible for holding the assets and providing infrastructure for Synapse and Dendrite. While the adoption and use of Matrix and these projects have grown significantly, the contributor ecosystem for Synapse and Dendrite has not seen the same level of growth. Most of the maintenance and development work has been done by individuals working at Element.

Moving forward, the Foundation does not plan to actively fund the development of the current Synapse and Dendrite projects due to limited resources. Instead, the Foundation will focus on funding research and development for the Matrix ecosystem, addressing gaps, and providing community infrastructure. The Foundation does not wish to compete with actively maintained open source projects.

It is expected that the forks of Synapse and Dendrite will be widely adopted, and the Foundation wishes them success. However, there are still many unanswered questions, and the Matrix community will need to navigate this new territory together. Matrix is more than just these two projects - it is an open protocol and a whole ecosystem.

For most users, including the 115 million plus Matrix users on the open federation, there will be no significant changes. Those who run a Synapse or Dendrite server should continue to receive upstream releases from Element’s repositories.

Source: Matrix.

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.