2020.09.00

This release includes major changes compared previous Freedom Unleashed SDK and thus is experimental at this stage. Main changes include:

• All layers (openembedded-core, meta-openembedded, meta-riscv) updated to their latest revisions.

• Kernel updated to v5.8.2.

• stress-ng updated to 0.11.19.

• nfs-server was removed.

• udev-extraconf was added for additional udev rules to allow external storage to be mounted automatically.

• dhcp-client was replaced by dhcpd.

• Fix support for FAT file system formatted partitions/drives.

• Add support for exFAT file system.

• OpenSBI is now compiled in FW_DYNAMIC variant for generic plaform instead of FW_PAYLOAD and sifive/fu540 platform.

• Removed support for OpenSBI payload (RISCV_SBI_PAYLOAD variable).

• freedom-u540-c000-bootloader was removed (replaced by U-Boot SPL).

• Kernel image was switched to Image.gz (gzip compressed Image) and thus removed the need for U-Boot FIT image. Image kernel target contains 64-byte header with details required by bootloaders.

• virtual/bootloader virtual target pointing to u-boot was added.

• rootfs tarball was added (e.g. could be used with NFS).

• Switch compression for disk images to XZ.

• Updated /etc/fstab is now updated in the final rootfs (allows to mount /boot from a separate partition).

• DTB is deployed and loaded from /boot partition.

• Added EXTLINUX support.

Known Issues

1. Avoid overclocking SoC using CPUFreq if you are using HiFive Unleashed Expansion Board from Microsemi as this will hang the board. Hard reset will be required.

2. If Xfce4 desktop disk image is used with HiFive Unleashed Expansion Board and GPU then rebooting is required after the 1st boot.