[Freedombox-discuss] ARM64 board for Debian/Freedombox

[Stefan Monnier]

> Thanks for the tip regarding Odroid-M1. I didn't quite understand why you
> didn't use a standard Debian kernel?

Because the standard Linux kernel does not (yet?) support this board.

The manufacturer (Hardkernel) provides its own kernel (which tracks the
vanilla Linux kernel) and that code is likely to end up in the Linux
kernel one way or another.

AFAICT the vanilla 5.19 kernel seems to already have support for the
SATA, USB, and HDMI ports of this SoC, tho it still lacks a DTS file for
the M1 board.  Maybe using the DTS file from Hardkernel's kernel is enough
to use the vanilla 5.19 kernel, in which case it would be sufficient to
use Debian's 5.19 kernel, but I haven't tried that yet.

> I can buy this board in the local store. What all do I need (like a starter
> kit)? Power cable? SD Card etc?

What you need depends on what you intend to do with it and what you
already have.  In my case I run it headless connected to a 2½" HDD
I already had, so I bought mine with a power brick and a "SATA mount and
cable kit" (https://wiki.odroid.com/accessory/cables/sata_holder).
I needed to use an HDMI cable (and display) and a USB keyboard in order
to perform the original install (and I suspect I may need it again when
I try to switch to another kernel) but I had them already.

If you'll be using an M.2 nvme drive, you won't need the SATA mount and cable.


        Stefan