networking

Posted on by Debashis Das - 1 Comment on EXT-2.5GE-RK3588-RT is a quad 2.5GbE Ethernet expansion board for ROC-RK3588-RT SBC

EXT-2.5GE-RK3588-RT is a quad 2.5GbE Ethernet expansion board for ROC-RK3588-RT SBC

Rockchip RK3588 SBC Seven Ethernet ports

In a recent article, we covered the ROC-RK3588-RT SBC, one of its main features was its three ethernet ports: one 2.5GbE and the other two standard ethernet ports. This setup made this board ideal for routers and firewalls. To enhance its capabilities, Firefly recently launched the EXT-2.5GE-RK3588-RT, a 2.5GbE Ethernet Expansion Board, which adds four more 2.5GbE ports to the ROC-RK3588-RT Rockchip RK3588 SBC. We’ve previously covered many SBCs, mini PCs, and motherboards from Firefly, such as their Rockchip RK3588 SBCs with 32GB RAM, the Firefly AIO-1684XQ motherboard, and the Firefly Station P3D mini PC. Feel free to check them out if you’re interested. While searching, I found limited documentation, but upon closer inspection, I discovered that the board uses the RTL8125BG IC for Ethernet control and the PI6C557-05 IC as a spectrum clock generator. There is also some kind of PMIC on the board recognizable by the big inductor, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on Mixtile Core 3588E SoM review – Part 2: Ubuntu 22.04, hardware features, RK3588 AI samples, NVIDIA Jetson compatibility

Mixtile Core 3588E SoM review – Part 2: Ubuntu 22.04, hardware features, RK3588 AI samples, NVIDIA Jetson compatibility

Mixtile Core 3588E Ubuntu 22.04 review

We’ve already had a look at the Mixtile Core 3588E NVIDIA Jetson Nano/TX2 NX/Xavier NX/Orin Nano compatible Rockchip RK3588 SO-DIMM system-on-module in the first part of the review with an unboxing and first boot with an Ubuntu 22.04 OEM installation. I’ve now had more time to play with the devkit comprised of a Core 3588 module in 16GB/128GB configuration and a Leetop A206 carrier board with low-level features testing, some benchmarks, multimedia testing with 3D graphics acceleration and video playback, some AI tests using the built-in 6 TOPS NPU and the RKNPU2 toolkit, and finally I also tried out the system-on-module with the carrier board from an NVIDIA Jetson Nano developer kit. Ubuntu 22.04 System info We had already checked some of the system information in the first part of the Mixtile Core 3588E review, but here’s a reminder:

I also ran inxi to check a few more details. […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 10 Comments on Review of Blackview MP80 (Processor N97) mini PC with Windows 11 Pro

Review of Blackview MP80 (Processor N97) mini PC with Windows 11 Pro

Review Blackview MP80 Processor N97

Blackview MP80 is a tiny pocket-sized mini PC powered by either an Intel Alder Lake-N Processor N95 or Processor N97 CPU with 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and a 512GB M.2 SSD preloaded with Windows 11 Pro. We’ve already reviewed the Blackview MP80 (N95) mini PC a few months ago, but the company has now sent us the Processor N97 model for review. Both models look identical with the same ports including three HDMI 2.0 video outputs, three USB ports, and two gigabit Ethernet ports, plus a Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 4.2 wireless module. The mini PCs are also actively cooled, and the only obvious differences are the processor (Intel N95 vs N97) and the color of the enclosure. We usually do a three-part review with the first one listing the specs, and going through an unboxing and a teardown, but for the Blackview MP80 (N97) review we will do those and […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on GL.iNet GL-MT6000 “Flint 2” WiFi 6 router review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and first try

GL.iNet GL-MT6000 “Flint 2” WiFi 6 router review – Part 1: Unboxing, teardown, and first try

GL.iNet GL-MT6000 review

GL.iNet Flint 2 (also known as GL-MT6000) is a new WiFi 6 AX6000 router based on MediaTek MT7986 (Filogic 830) Arm SoC running of fork OpenWrt 23.05 and claims up of up tup to 900 Mbps VPN speed using WireGuard. The company sent us a review sample of the Flint 2 router, and since we’ve already listed the specifications, we’ll focus the first part of the review on an unboxing, teardown, and a first quick try, before testing some of the features, including the VPN speed, and comparing it to the Xiaomi Mi AX6000 router I own in the second part of the review in a few weeks. GL.iNet GL-MT6000 unboxing The package shows the model number Flint 2 / GL-MT6000 and key features such as the AX6000 WiFi 6, dual 2.5GbE, multi-WAN support, dual Ethernet WAN, OpenWrt, and VPN. The package features the router itself with its four antennas, […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on iKOOLCORE R2 (Core i3-N300) system review – Part2: Proxmox VE, Ubuntu 22.04, pfSense

iKOOLCORE R2 (Core i3-N300) system review – Part2: Proxmox VE, Ubuntu 22.04, pfSense

iKOOLCORE R2 Ubuntu Promox VE dual display

In the first part of iKOOLCORE R2 mini PC & router review, I had a look at the hardware with an unboxing and a teardown of the Intel Core i3-N300 Alder Lake-N computer and also noticed the device booted to a UEFI shell. So for the second part of the review, I will report my experience installing Proxmox VE on the iKOOLCORE R2 and setting up and using Ubuntu 22.04, pfSense 2.7.2, and OpenWrt 23.05 virtual machines, making sure I can still use a physical display, keyboard, and mouse with Ubuntu while pfSense firewall is running. As a side note, the previous generation iKOOLCORE R1 mini PC that was sent to Ian for review with Proxmox VE and various virtual machines preinstalled OpenWrt, Debian 11, and Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC set to Chinese language by default. As I understand it, iKOOLCORE still does that for the Chinese market, but not […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on Review of GEEKOM Mini Air12 mini PC with Windows 11 Pro (Part 2)

Review of GEEKOM Mini Air12 mini PC with Windows 11 Pro (Part 2)

GEEKOM Mini Air12 dual display

We’ve already done an unboxing and teardown of the GEEKOM Mini Air12 mini PC in the first part of the review and we’ve now had time to test Windows 11 Pro on the Intel Processor N100 mini PC equipped with 16GB SO-DIMM DDR5 and a 512GB M.2 SSD. Despite the low-end processor, the mini PC boots quite fast and it’s perfectly usable to browse the web, play YouTube videos, and perform other tasks like office work and photo editing. In part 2 of the review, we’ll test Windows 11 Pro thoroughly with a software overview, features testing, benchmarks, storage and network performance tests, thermal performance, fan noise, and power consumption of GEEKOM Mini Air12. Software overview and features testing Going to System->About in the Windows settings confirms we have a Mini Air12 mini PC powered by an 800 MHz (based frequency) Intel Processor N100 CPU, with 16GB of RAM, and […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments on AMD Ryzen Embedded V3000 COM Express Type 7 module supports up to 64GB DDR5 memory

AMD Ryzen Embedded V3000 COM Express Type 7 module supports up to 64GB DDR5 memory

AMD Ryzen V3000 COM Express Module

ADLINK Express VR7 is a COM Express Basic size Type 7 computer-on-module powered by the eight-core AMD Ryzen Embedded V3000 processor with two 10GbE interfaces, fourteen PCIe Gen 4 lanes, and optional support for the “extreme temperature range” between -40°C and 85°C. The COM Express module supports up to 64GB dual-channel DDR5 SO-DIMM  (ECC/non-ECC) memory and targets headless embedded applications such as edge networking equipment, 5G infrastructure at the edge, video storage analytics, intelligent surveillance, industrial automation and control, and rugged edge servers. Express-VR7 specifications: SoC – AMD Embedded Ryzen V3000 (one or the other Ryzen V3C48 8-core/16-thread processor @ 3.3/3.8GHz; TDP: 45W Ryzen V3C44 4-core/8-thread processor @ 3.5/3.8GHz; TDP: 45W Ryzen V3C18I 8-core/16-thread processor 1.9/3.8GHz; TDP: 15W (useful in the extreme temperature range) Ryzen V3C16 6-core/12-thread processor 2.0/3.8GHz; TDP: 15W Ryzen V3C14 4-core/8-thread processor 2.3/3.8GHz; TDP: 15W System Memory – Up to 64GB (2x 32GB) dual-channel ECC/non-ECC DDR5 memory […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 32 Comments on M.2 10GbE network card sells for $86

M.2 10GbE network card sells for $86

low cost M.2 10GbE module

Almost two years ago, we wrote it was possible to add 10GbE to your system with a M.2 network card based on a Marvell AQC113 chip for about $170. But I’ve now been made aware prices may have come down a lot as another M.2 10GbE network based on the Marvell AQC107 chipset is now selling for $86 including shipping (to Thailand). Just like the previous model, the M.2 card does not include an RJ45 port, instead, it’s included in a separate board that’s mountable to a standard PC plate and connected through a flat cable to the M.2 module. Specifications: Network controller – Marvell AQC107 PCIe Gen3 x4 10Gbps Ethernet controller supporting 10GBASE-T, 5GBASE-T, 2.5GBASE-T, 1000BASE-T, and 100BASE-T (but not 10BASE-T) Aquantias AQrate PHY up to 10GbE using Cat 6a cables, as well as 5 GbE and 2.5 GbE over 100 meters with Cat 5e cables Energy Efficient Ethernet […]