Tag: Linux

Posted on by — Leave a comment

ARM Server Linux Update, March 2016

It has been a few months since our last ARM Server update, and as usual, a lot has changed in just a short time!

The biggest and most important news is the launch of the Raspberry Pi 3, freshly upgraded to a quad-core 64-bit ARM processor from Broadcom, whereas all previous Raspberry Pi’s have been based on 32-bit processors. With 8 million units sold, the Raspberry Pi is by far the most popular ARM single board computer, so the move to a 64-bit processor will potentially add millions of units to the 64-bit ARM ecosystem.

In January, the AMD Opteron A1100 officially launched, which is also a 64-bit model. It is available in 3 different SKU’s with varying core count and speeds, and AMD is arguably the biggest name to launch an ARM Server SOC thus far.

The LeMaker Cello is a new board based on the 96Boards Enterprise Edition specification, utilizing one of the AMD Opteron processors. It has gigabit ethernet, DDR3 memory, SATA, and USB 3.0, so connectivity and data throughput should be excellent.

Finally, as part of the latest 96Boards Reference Software Platform, both Debian and CentOS are now supported for install, and a single 4.4 Kernel run the DragonBoard, HiKey, and HuskyBoard.

So there you have it. Just a few short months, and lots of change has happened in the ARM Server ecosystem (as usual)!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

ARM Linux Update, December 2015

Since our last update, quite a bit has happened in the Linux on ARM and ARM Server ecosystem. First and foremost, the price point for running a Linux ARM machine has reached a new low, only $5 USD! At the end of November, the Raspberry Pi Foundation released a new board known as the Raspberry Pi Zero, with a 1ghz ARM processor and 512mb of RAM running Raspbian (based on Debian Linux), at an incredible $5 price point. So, while it is not the exactly the fastest ARM PC around, it is still an amazing achievement and value for the $5 cost.

Previous low price leader CHIP from NextThingCo ($9 USD) began shipping to the early Kickstarter backers, though the bulk shipments won’t happen until next year. Following close behind at the $15 price point is the Orange Pi PC, running a quad-core Allwinner H3 with support for Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, ArchLinux and more.

Another very interesting option is the new PINE64 board currently being funded on Kickstarter. This project promises to deliver Allwinner A64 processors, with 1gb or 2gb of RAM, also starting at $15. This will be the low cost leader for a 64-bit ARM processor board, coming in significantly cheaper than the $75 Qualcomm Dragonboard (although the Dragonboard is still the leader among *currently* shipping boards). According to the project, they are planning support for Ubuntu and Android.

On the server side, SoftIron has showed off their Overdrive 3000 server, based on the AMD Opteron A1100 processor. The Opteron A1100 is a 64-bit, 8-core, ARM Cortex-A57 design, and the Overdrive 3000 adds 16gb RAM, a 1TB hard drive, and 2 10gig Ethernet ports. The server is optimized for cloud, storage, and web based work, while reducing power consumption and TCO in the datacenter.

Looking back, 2015 saw a ton of progress in the ARM Linux ecosystem, and 2016 is shaping up to be just as exciting!