SiFive has introduced two new IP blocks, the Intelligence X390 NPU and the Performance P870 RISC-V core, which are designed for SoCs targeting Generative AI and ML applications.

The Performance P870, previously covered by CNX Software, is a high-performance core that supports the RVA23 RISC-V profile specification, Vector 1.0, and Vector Crypto. It features a six-wide, out-of-order 64-bit core and can be configured with up to a 32-core cluster. The P870 offers over 12 SpecINT2k6/GHz and a 50% peak single-thread performance improvement compared to the previous generation SiFive Performance P670. It also includes SiFive features such as 2x 128b VLEN RVV, vector crypto and hypervisor extensions, IOMMU and AIA, non-inclusive L3 cache, and RISC-V WorldGuard security. The P870 is fully compatible with Google’s platform requirements for Android on RISC-V and supports Linux.

The SiFive Intelligence X390 NPU is built on the U7-Series core with a 64-bit RISC-V ISA and an 8-stage dual-issue in-order pipeline. It supports the RISC-V Vector extension and features a 1024-bit VLEN, 512-bit DLEN, single/dual vector ALU, and the Vector Coprocessor Interface eXtension (VCIX) for direct connectivity of external hardware accelerators. The X390 NPU offers a 4x improvement in vector computation compared to the Intelligence X280 NPU, thanks to its single-core configuration, doubled vector length, and dual vector ALUs.

SiFive envisions the P870 and X390 being paired in powerful RISC-V SoCs with up to 32 cores and 8 AI accelerator cores (along with optional custom accelerators) to enable generative AI in data centers. The company promises a full AI solution with optimized libraries, as well as OpenXLA and NN models. Additionally, the Performance P870 is suitable for DPU, storage, networking, 5G applications, and automotive SoCs. In the automotive market, the P870-A RISC-V core can be integrated with the Intelligence X280 AI accelerator and SiFive S7-A cores for ASIL B/D compliance, supporting applications such as standalone ADAS, central compute, and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI).

SiFive also suggests that the P870 and X390 may find their way into consumer applications like edge AI security cameras, mobile devices, wearables, and smart TVs, although no specific details were provided.

For more information, please visit the product page and press release.

Source: CNX Software – Embedded Systems News.

Netdata has released version v1.43.0, which is the most robust and reliable version of Netdata yet. This release includes several improvements and new features that enhance the performance and functionality of Netdata.

One of the major improvements in this release is the enhancement of the systemd-journal logs. Netdata has rewritten the systemd-journal plugin to improve its performance and visualization capabilities. This allows for better visualization of critical systems and security information. Additionally, Netdata is standardizing the way logs are handled as part of the platform, which enables support for more log management engines like Loki and Elasticsearch.

Another notable improvement is the changes made to the way metrics are collected and exposed in the Netdata Agent UI. This allows for easier slicing and dicing of data and better compatibility with OpenTelemetry specifications. The apps.plugin now exposes charts in the Applications section of the dashboard using the NIDL framework, while systemd units charts have been updated to have an instance for each systemd unit. Disk charts also have additional labels to help identify disks from the charts.

The Netdata Health engine has also undergone changes to improve integration with the new dashboard. These changes include better multi-node alerting on parents and the ability to evaluate and configure alerts directly from the UI.

In terms of performance, Netdata now has lower resource utilization, including lower memory usage and disk footprint. The self-vacuuming of SQLite databases has also been implemented. Notably, Netdata now requires only 1 pointer for each use of a label name-value combination, significantly improving memory requirements in setups like busy Kubernetes clusters.

Other improvements include the ability to run a 32-bit Netdata on a 64-bit IoT operating system, the availability of Netdata Cloud to be installed on-premises, and enhancements to VMware vSphere monitoring.

Looking ahead, Netdata is working on several areas for future releases. These include the development of a Logs Explorer for Loki and Elasticsearch, allowing for exploration, querying, and visualization of logs from these sources. Netdata is also working on making all integrations configurable via the dashboard and allowing alerts to be configured directly from the UI. Additionally, Netdata is preparing to release a mobile app for receiving push notifications and exploring alert statuses. The scalability of Netdata in larger environments is also a focus for future improvements.

As part of the release, there are also deprecation notices for certain components and changes that will be implemented in future releases. These changes aim to improve the functionality and usability of Netdata.

Overall, the release of Netdata version v1.43.0 brings significant improvements and new features that enhance the performance, functionality, and usability of Netdata for server monitoring and management.

Loki, an open source log aggregation system inspired by Prometheus, has announced the release of version v2.9.2. This highly-available, multi-tenant system is designed to be cost-effective and easy to operate.

One notable change in this release is the patching of two security vulnerabilities: CVE-2023-39325 and CVE-2023-44487. This was done by upgrading go to v1.21.3, golang.org/x/net to v0.17.0, and grpc-go to v1.56.3. For a comprehensive list of changes, users can refer to the CHANGELOG.

Loki offers two installation options: Docker container and binary.

For those who prefer the Docker container option, the images are available at https://hub.docker.com/r/grafana/loki and https://hub.docker.com/r/grafana/promtail. To install, simply run the following commands:

$ docker pull grafana/loki:2.9.2
$ docker pull grafana/promtail:2.9.2

Alternatively, Loki provides pre-compiled binary executables for various operating systems and architectures. To install the binary version, follow these steps:

$ curl -O -L "https://github.com/grafana/loki/releases/download/v2.9.2/loki-linux-amd64.zip"
$ unzip loki-linux-amd64.zip
$ chmod a+x loki-linux-amd64

TrueNAS, a leading provider of storage systems, uses OpenZFS as the foundation for its data management layer. As the deployment vehicle for the majority of OpenZFS storage systems used today, TrueNAS is excited about the continuous improvement of OpenZFS.

The 11th annual OpenZFS Developer Summit for 2023 kicked off on October 16th in San Francisco. Among the many exciting projects being developed, two projects stand out with significant contributions and investments from iXsystems.

One of the primary issues with traditional deduplication (dedup) with ZFS has been the need to keep the dedup tables in memory at all times, which led to performance penalties and usability issues. However, with the introduction of Fast Dedup, the metadata size is now constrained to fit in either RAM or flash, eliminating the performance penalty. The metadata structure for Fast Dedup has been completely re-engineered to allow efficient updates and the ability to evict non-deduplicated blocks. These improvements, combined with properly configured storage, will result in a significant improvement in dedup performance for larger systems. Allan Jude, a major sponsor of the Fast Dedup project, will be presenting the details at the summit.

RAIDZ expansion is another exciting project that is entering its final quality assurance cycle. This feature allows a small pool with as few as two drives to be gradually expanded with one drive at a time, preserving existing data with its original parity. The administrative process for small systems has also been simplified. Don Brady and Matt Ahrens will be presenting the latest updates on RAIDZ expansion at the summit. This project has taken a few years but is now in its final stretch and will be included in OpenZFS 2.3.

The current release, OpenZFS 2.2, has been integrated into TrueNAS SCALE 23.10 (Cobia). The release candidate version of Cobia, which includes dRAID, has been successfully provided to the community with over 3,000 testers. The formal release of TrueNAS SCALE 23.10 is planned in the coming weeks. In early 2024, TrueNAS CORE 13.1 will be released with OpenZFS 2.2, and TrueNAS Enterprise appliances will also use OpenZFS 2.2 in their respective software versions.

OpenZFS 2.3 (or potentially 3.0) is expected to take most of the next 12 months to mature and reach release quality and status. The RAIDZ expansion and Fast Dedup features will be integrated with TrueNAS at that time. Early availability of Nightlies and BETA software is expected in mid-2024 for TrueNAS SCALE.

Source: TrueNAS.

Netmaker has released its latest version, v0.21.1, of their WireGuard mesh VPN. Netmaker is a platform that automates the creation of fast, secure, and distributed virtual networks.

With Netmaker, users can easily create virtual networks between data centers, clouds, and edge devices without the need for manual configuration. This automation saves time and effort for users, allowing them to focus on other important tasks.

One of the key features of Netmaker is its integration with Kernel WireGuard, which provides maximum speed, performance, and security. This ensures that the virtual networks created with Netmaker are not only efficient but also highly secure.

Netmaker is designed to scale from small businesses to enterprise-level organizations. This means that whether you are a small startup or a large corporation, Netmaker can meet your networking needs.

One of the standout features of Netmaker is its ability to be highly customized. Users can configure Netmaker with WireGuard for various use cases, such as peer-to-peer connections, site-to-site connections, Kubernetes deployments, and more. This flexibility allows users to tailor Netmaker to their specific requirements.

The latest version, v0.21.1, brings several new features and fixes to the Netmaker platform:

What’s New in v0.21.1:

• Remote access client session management: Users now have more control over managing remote access client sessions. Refer to the users section in the documentation for more details.
• Generic DNS entries: It is now possible to create generic DNS entries, providing more flexibility in configuring DNS settings.
• Upgrade client version: Users can now easily upgrade the client version to match the server version directly from the user interface.
• Moved PersistentKeepAlive setting: The PersistentKeepAlive setting has been moved from the node level to the host level, simplifying network configuration.

What’s Fixed in v0.21.1:

• Extclients DNS properly set: The issue of Extclients DNS not being properly set from the ingress DNS value provided has been resolved.
• Role update of OAuth user allowed: Users can now update the role of an OAuth user without any issues.
• Zombie node issue fixed: The issue of zombie nodes has been fixed, ensuring a smoother user experience.

Despite the improvements in v0.21.1, there are still a few known issues that users should be aware of:

• Windows installer does not install WireGuard: Users running the Windows installer may encounter an issue where WireGuard is not installed automatically. This can be resolved by manually installing WireGuard.
• netclient-gui error dialog: If the Netmaker server is offline, the netclient-gui application will continuously display an error dialog. This is a known issue that will be addressed in future releases.
• Mac IPv6 addresses/route issues: Mac users may experience issues with IPv6 addresses and routes. This is a known issue that is currently being investigated.
• Docker client re-join issue: Users may encounter difficulties when trying to re-join a network using the Docker client after complete deletion. This issue is currently being addressed.
• netclient-gui network tab blank: After disconnecting from a network, the network tab in the netclient-gui application may appear blank. This is a known issue that will be fixed in future updates.

Despite these known issues, Netmaker’s latest release, v0.21.1, brings several new features and fixes that further enhance its capabilities as a WireGuard mesh VPN solution. With its automation, scalability, and customization options, Netmaker continues to be a valuable tool for those interested in servers, Linux, DevOps, and home labs.

Linus Torvalds has released Linux 6.6-rc6 and plans to release the stable version of Linux 6.6 in two weeks, barring any unexpected issues. In the announcement, Torvalds mentioned that the previous week had been calm, with discussions focusing on future changes. He also mentioned a music video documentary that was made about the release. The changes in this release include a fix for a kernel crash when unplugging Logitech USB receivers and a fix for hung systems during shutdowns or reboots, which specifically affects Lenovo, Sony, and Dell systems, particularly recent Intel Alder Lake and Raptor Lake systems. Other fixes include support for the PXN V900 racing steering wheel and a fix for a Zen 4 CPU bug when running with “mitigations=off” or disabling IBRS. The stable release of Linux 6.6 is expected to debut on October 29th, followed by the start of the v6.7 kernel cycle.

Source: Phoronix.