Armbian has recently released version 25.5 of their Linux Distribution, tailored for single-board computers with processors based on ARM, RISC-V and X86 architectures. This release supports various models from RASPBERRY Pi, Odroid, Orange Pi, Banana Pi, Helios64, Pine64, Nanopi, and Cubieboard, all powered by processors from Allwinner, AMLOGIC, ActionSemi, Freescale / NXP, Marvell Armada, Rockchip, Radxa, and Samsung Exynos.
The distribution is built on DEBIAN and UBUNTU package bases, but all components have been re-implemented using Armbian’s own assembly system for optimization. Features like mounting the /Var/log section using ZRAM and storing it in a compressed form with scheduled data dumps, and mounting the /TMP section using TMPFS are included to enhance performance and security.
Armbian 25.5 supports more than 30 options for the Linux kernel across different ARM and ARM64 platforms. It provides an SDK to simplify the creation of system images, packages, and distribution edits. The distribution also includes the BOX64 emulator for running programs compiled for X86 architecture processors. Additionally, packages are available for launching user environments based on KDE, GNOME, BUDGIE, CINMON, i3WM, Mate, XFCE, and XMONAD.
The latest changes in Armbian 25.5 include added support for various models such as Banana Pi M2, Mekotronics R58/R58X, TI SK-Am69, Beagleboard PocketBeagle2, BeagleBone AI-64, BEAGLEPLAY, QCOM Robotics RB5, Radxa Cubie A5E, Nanopi R2S PLUS, and more. Improvements have been made for Rockchip chip boilers, HDMI and sound support, and overall compatibility with several models like Bananapi BPI-M4-Zero, Orange Pi4 5/5B/Pro, and more.
The utility armbian-config has been substantially modernized, now featuring an application library for launching popular applications directly from the interface. The network configurator has been enhanced for better Wi-Fi access point detection and network interface setup. Additionally, support for BTRFS partitions has been added, and the Linux core for Rockchip chips has been updated to version 6.14.
Overall, Armbian 25.5 brings significant improvements and optimizations for single-board computer users, ensuring a streamlined and secure computing experience.