This week, the Armbian development team pushed several noteworthy enhancements, with improvements spanning user experience, bootloader upgrades, and broader system support. Notably, this week saw the debut of OpenMediaVault in Armbian’s software installer, a move that brings plug-and-play NAS functionality to supported boards.

OpenMediaVault is a feature-rich platform that enables users to turn single-board computers into fully-fledged network storage devices. Thanks to a contribution by Igor, the integration is now available through armbian-config interface, giving users a streamlined way to install and configure OpenMediaVault without needing to manually manage services or packages.

The usability of the software stack also saw a meaningful improvement. A previously persistent “Disable Wireless Hotspot?” prompt was eliminated when no hotspot had been enabled, reducing unnecessary friction during the setup process. This fix helps clarify Armbian’s default network behavior for users during first boot, particularly when configuring headless or appliance-style deployments.

On the hardware front, the Orange Pi 5 Max received a key upgrade: it now boots using mainline U-Boot. This transition replaces vendor-specific boot code with upstream-supported U-Boot, easing future updates and kernel integration. A related improvement was made to the PocketBeagle2, which migrated to extlinux for boot configuration—bringing it in line with Armbian’s broader standardization efforts.

Further enhancements came to the Rockchip64 platform. Previously missing Operating Performance Points (OPPs) were added to ensure proper voltage and frequency scaling across supported boards, which improves energy efficiency and stability under load. In addition, older workarounds for wireless firmware issues were removed, as upstream drivers have now resolved the compatibility concerns that necessitated them.

Finally, infrastructure refinement continued with the cleanup of unused or deprecated build artifacts, keeping the codebase lean and future-proof. The team also laid the groundwork for upcoming testing initiatives to ensure that new features like OpenMediaVault are validated across a wide array of supported devices.

For those interested in exploring OpenMediaVault or other curated software installations, the updated documentation is available in the Armbian Software User Guide.