* More about support definitions, criteria and relationships
1. Download u-boot files for Armbian
Download the u-boot file for the corresponding memory version of LicheePi 4A from the Action or Releases section of chainsx/thead-u-boot.
2. Flash u-boot to EMMC (required)
If there is a DIP switch, set it to EMMC mode. Press the BOOT button on the board and connect lpi4a to the computer using a data cable. Then perform the following operations:
sudo fastboot flash ram ./firmware/u-boot-with-spl.bin
sudo fastboot reboot
sleep 10
sudo fastboot flash uboot ./firmware/u-boot-with-spl.bin For installation of drivers, refer to the Sipeed official Wiki.
3. Flash the system
Option 1: Flash the system to an SD card
You can use Etcher or other software.
Option 2: Flash the system to EMMC
(1) Use the UMS (USB Mass Storage) feature of u-boot (experimental):
Interrupt the u-boot countdown by pressing `Ctrl^C` when counting down using the serial port to enter the u-boot command line, then enter the following command:
ums 0 mmc 0The EMMC will be mapped as a USB Mass Storage device on the computer, and you can use Etcher or other software to flash it.
(2) After booting from the SD card, use the dd command to copy the Armbian image to the EMMC.
4. Support status
It is recommended to use the legacy version based on T-Head SDK.
The edge version based on the mainline currently does not support the SD card slot and can only drive a single core of the CPU.
Different images? Missing features? -> Download SDK Looking for compatible accessories? Want to participate in development?
Specifications
* Specifications differ from hardware revision, model and software support level
FAQs
- check power supply and SD card issues
- check previous images from archive
- ask for help on forums
Simple
BASH or ZSH shell, standard Debian/Ubuntu utilities. Features can be adjusted with menu-driven utility. Login is possible via serial, HDMI or SSH.
Universal
Minimal, server or Desktop. We work with XFCE, Gnome and Cinnamon but more is possible to build: Mate, KDE, Budgie, Deepin, i3, …
Light
No bloatware or spyware. Special utilities are completely optional. Suitable for newcomers and professionals.
Optimized
Distributed images are optimized for flash media (SD/eMMC/SSD) and compacted to real data size.
Fast
Armbian is optimized on kernel and userspace level. ZRAM & ZSWAP support, browser profile memory caching, garbage commit delay.
Secure
Security level can be adjusted with the armbian-config. OS is reviewed by professionals within the community.
Supported
Maintainers and community have deep understanding how HW work. We are seniors with 30+ years of experience in Linux + embedded Linux.
Open
Armbian provides open source build framework to build a distribution of optimised Linux hardware interface for armhf, aarch64 and x86.
We provide a selection of images that fits hardware best. If you need different image – use build framework and make whatever you need. Build framework relies on Debian and Ubuntu packages – you can build any combination – stable, old stable or rolling release.
Minimal images comes without armbian-config, armbian-zsh, build-essentials, Python, DKMS, … If you are interested in detailed comparison, CLI images also have those packages:
Make sure you have a good & reliable boot media (SD card / USB key) and a proper power supply. Archives can be flashed with Etcher (all OS) directly.
Insert the SD card into the slot, connect a cable to your network if possible or a display and power your board. (First) boot (with DHCP) takes a bit longer.
Support is provided in one of two ways:
- Free support is provided via general project search engine, documentation, community forums or IRC/Discord. Keep in mind this is mostly provided by our awesome community members in a best effort manner and therefore there are no guaranteed solutions.
- For commercial or prioritised assistance:
- book a an hour of professional consultation,
- consider becoming a project partner. Reach us out at https://armbian.com/contact,
Rolling releases from CI pipeline
| User space | Kernel | Torrent | Integrity | Size | Release date | ||
| Armbian Mantic minimal CLI | rolling | 6.7.0-rc1 |  | SHA | ASC | 263Mb | Nov 30, 2023 |
| Armbian Mantic minimal CLI | rolling | 5.10.113 | | SHA | ASC | 238Mb | Nov 30, 2023 |
| Armbian Jammy XFCE desktop | stable | 6.7.0-rc1 | | SHA | ASC | 898Mb | Nov 30, 2023 |
Rolling releases are suitable for Linux enthusiasts who want cutting edge packages and have the skills to fix damage that a bad update might cause. If you want stability in a production environment or low headaches as a novice user, skip rolling releases. They are only at, build and ship, Debian testing / Arch / Manjaro / Suse Tumbleweed / Kali / Gentoo support quality level!