NixOS on ARM: Difference between revisions

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ARM support for NixOS is a work-in-progress, but is progressing quickly.
<languages/>
<translate>
<!--T:1-->
<div style="font-size: 1.5rem; text-align: center;padding-bottom: 0.5rem;"><strong>NixOS supports 64-bit ARM.</strong></div>


The support varies depending on the architecture and the specific boards. The way the ARM integration is built into NixOS is by making generic builds the first-class citizens; as soon as there is upstream support for the board in the kernel and the bootloader, NixOS should work once updated to these versions. It is still possible, when needed, to build and use a customised bootloader and kernel for specific boards<sup>[[Talk:NixOS_on_ARM#NixOS_.22support.22_for_board-specific_kernels_or_bootloaders|[reference needed]]]</sup>. At this moment in time (late 2021) only AArch64 has full support upstream.
<!--T:2-->
The support level for ARM overall varies depending on the architecture and the specific ecosystems and boards.


Though, neither armv6l or armv7l are being ignored, fixes are worked on and approved as needed; what's missing is support and upstream builds being maintained in binary form. At the time of writing, no publicly available caches for armv6l or armv7l are available.<!-- please get in touch with samueldr on the NixOS on ARM channel if you want to share your own cache, before editing. We need to review the wording to make it crystal clear it's a user-provided cache. -->
<!--T:3-->
The way the ARM integration is built into NixOS is by making '''generic builds the first-class citizens'''. This means that as soon as there is upstream support for the board in the kernel and platform firmware, NixOS should work once those are updated.


'''For images links, including UEFI install''', skip to the [[NixOS on ARM#Installation|Installation]] section.
<!--T:4-->
It is still possible, when needed, to build and use a customized platform firmware and kernel for specific boards<sup>[[Talk:NixOS_on_ARM#NixOS_.22support.22_for_board-specific_kernels_or_bootloaders|[reference needed]]]</sup>.


== Supported devices ==
<!--T:5-->
At this moment in time (early 2024) '''only AArch64''' has full support upstream. With that said, neither armv6l or armv7l are being ignored, fixes are worked on and approved as needed. What's missing is support and builds being maintained in binary form. At the time of writing, no publicly available caches for armv6l or armv7l are available.<!-- please get in touch with samueldr on the NixOS on ARM channel if you want to share your own cache, before editing. We need to review the wording to make it crystal clear it's a user-provided cache. -->


<!--T:6-->
'''For images links, including UEFI install''', skip to the [[NixOS_on_ARM/Installation|Installation page]].
== Supported devices == <!--T:7-->
<!--T:8-->
Table legend:
Table legend:
* SoC - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_on_a_chip
* SoC - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_on_a_chip
* ISA - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instruction_set_architecture
* ISA - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instruction_set_architecture


=== Upstream (NixOS) supported devices ===
=== Upstream (NixOS) supported devices === <!--T:9-->


<!--T:10-->
NixOS has support for these boards using AArch64 architecture on the nixpkgs-unstable and stable channel.
NixOS has support for these boards using AArch64 architecture on the nixpkgs-unstable and stable channel.


<!--T:11-->
Support for those board assumes as much is supported as Mainline Linux supports.
Support for those board assumes as much is supported as Mainline Linux supports.
<!--
<!--
Line 23: Line 38:
  * By release date, chronological (older first).
  * By release date, chronological (older first).
-->
-->
<div class="table">
{|class="table"
{|class="table"
!width="2%"| Manufacturer
!width="2%"| Manufacturer
!width="2%"| Board
!width="2%"| Board
!width="2%"| SoC
!width="2%"| SoC
!width="2%"| ISA
!width="1%"| ISA
!width="2%"| CPU
!width="2%"| CPU
!width="2%"| RAM
!width="1%"| RAM
!width="2%"| Storage
!width="2%"| Storage
|-
|-
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| microSD, eMMC
| microSD, eMMC
|}
|}
</div>
=== Community supported devices ===
=== Community supported devices ===


<!--T:12-->
These boards are not routinely verified as working.
<!--T:13-->
The baseline support level expected is “Just as much as mainline Linux and U-Boot supports them”, except if specified otherwise.
<!--
<!--
Order for the device table is:
Order for the device table is:
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  * By release date, chronological (older first).
  * By release date, chronological (older first).
-->
-->
<div class="table-responsive">
<div class="table">
{|class="table"
{| class="sortable table"
!width="2%"| Manufacturer
!width="2%"| Manufacturer
!width="2%"| Board
!width="2%"| Board
!width="2%"| SoC
!width="2%"| SoC
!width="2%"| ISA
!width="1%"| ISA
!width="2%"| CPU
!width="2%"| CPU
!width="2%"| RAM
!width="2%"| RAM
Line 74: Line 96:
|-
|-
| ASUS
| ASUS
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Tinker Board|Tinker Board]]
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/ASUS Tinker Board|Tinker Board]]
| Rockchip RK3288
| Rockchip RK3288
| ARMv7
| ARMv7
Line 92: Line 114:
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Banana Pi M64|Banana Pi M64]]
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Banana Pi M64|Banana Pi M64]]
| Allwinner A64
| Allwinner A64
| ARMv8
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A53
| 4× Cortex-A53
| 2 GB
| 2 GB
Line 100: Line 122:
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Banana Pi BPI-M5|Banana Pi BPI-M5]]
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Banana Pi BPI-M5|Banana Pi BPI-M5]]
| Amlogic S905X3
| Amlogic S905X3
| ARMv8.2
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A55
| 4× Cortex-A55
| 4 GB LPDDR4
| 4 GB LPDDR4
Line 107: Line 129:
| BeagleBoard.org
| BeagleBoard.org
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/BeagleBone_Black|BeagleBone Black]]
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/BeagleBone_Black|BeagleBone Black]]
| TI AM335x
| TI AM335x [https://git.beagleboard.org/beagleboard/beaglebone-black (src)]
| ARMv7
| ARMv7
| 1× Cortex-A8 @ 1 GHz
| 1× Cortex-A8 @ 1 GHz
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| 4 GB
| 4 GB
| optional eMMC, microSD
| optional eMMC, microSD
|-
| FriendlyElec
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/NanoPi-R6C|NanoPi-R6C]]
| Rockchip RK3588S
| AArch64
| 4× ARM Cortex-A76 @ 2.4 GHz, 4× Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 Ghz
| 4 GB / 8 GB
| optional eMMC, microSD, NVMe
|-
|-
| Hardkernel
| Hardkernel
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| 4 GB
| 4 GB
| microSD, SATA
| microSD, SATA
|-
|Kosagi
|[[NixOS on ARM/Kosagi Novena|Kosagi Novena]]
|i.MX6
|ARMv7
|4× Cortex-A9 @ 1.2 GHz
|4 GB
|microSD, SATA
|-
|-
| Libre Computer
| Libre Computer
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| Rockchip RK3328
| Rockchip RK3328
| AArch64
| AArch64
| 4× ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.4GHz
| 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.4GHz
| 4 GB
| 4 GB
| eMMC, microSD
|-
| Libre Computer
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Libre_Computer_AML-S905X-CC-V2|AML-S905X-CC-V2]]
| Amlogic S905X
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.512 GHz
| 1/2GB
| eMMC, microSD
| eMMC, microSD
|-
|-
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| 6 GB
| 6 GB
| 32 GB eMMC, microSD
| 32 GB eMMC, microSD
|-
| NXP
| [https://github.com/gangaram-tii/nixos-imx8mq/ i.MX 8M Quad EVK]
| i.MX 8M Quad
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 Ghz + 1× Cortex-M4
| 3 GB
| 16 GB eMMC, microSD
|-
| OLIMEX
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/OLIMEX_Teres-A64|Teres-A64]]
| AllWinner A64
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.1 GHz
| 2GB
| 16 GB eMMC, microSD
|-
|-
| Orange Pi
| Orange Pi
Line 226: Line 288:
|-
|-
| Orange Pi
| Orange Pi
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Orange_Pi_Zero2_H626|Orange Pi Zero2 (H616)]]
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Orange_Pi_Zero2_H616|Orange Pi Zero2 (H616)]]
| Allwinner H616
| Allwinner H616
| AArch64
| AArch64
Line 232: Line 294:
| 1 GB
| 1 GB
| SD/microSD + 2MB SPI Flash
| SD/microSD + 2MB SPI Flash
|-
| Orange Pi
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Orange_Pi_R1_Plus_LTS|Orange Pi R1 Plus LTS]]
| Rockchip RK3328
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz
| 1 GB
| microSD
|-
| Orange Pi
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Orange_Pi_5|Orange Pi 5]]
| Rockchip RK3588s
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz, 4×Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz
| 4/8/16 GB
| microSD, NVMe
|-
| Orange Pi
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Orange_Pi_5_Plus|Orange Pi 5 Plus]]
| Rockchip RK3588
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz, 4×Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz
| 4/8/16 GB
| eMMC, microSD, NVMe
|-
|-
| PINE64
| PINE64
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| Allwinner A64
| Allwinner A64
| AArch64
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A53 @ ? GHz
| 4× Cortex-A53 @ ? Ghz
| 2 GB
| 2 GB
| microSD & eMMC
| microSD & eMMC
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| 2/4 GB
| 2/4 GB
| microSD/eMMC
| microSD/eMMC
|-
| Clockworkpi
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Clockworkpi_A06_uConsole|uConsole A06]]
| Rockchip RK3399
| AArch64
| 2× Cortex-A72 @ 2.0 GHz, 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 Ghz
| 4 GB
| microSD
|-
| Radxa
| [[NixOS on ARM/Radxa ROCK 4|ROCK 4]]
| Rockchip RK3399
| AArch64
| 2× Cortex-A72, 4×Cortex-A53
| 2/4 GB
| eMMC, microSD, NVMe via expansion board
|-
|-
| Radxa
| Radxa
| [[NixOS on ARM/Radxa ROCK5 Model B|ROCK5 Model B]]
| [[NixOS on ARM/Radxa ROCK5 Model B|ROCK5 Model B]]
| Rockchip RK3588
| Rockchip RK3588
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz, 4×Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz
| 4/8/16 GB
| eMMC, microSD, NVMe
|-
| Radxa
| [[NixOS on ARM/Radxa ROCK5 Model A|ROCK5 Model A]]
| Rockchip RK3588s
| AArch64
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz, 4×Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz
| 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz, 4×Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz
Line 311: Line 421:
| 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz
| 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz
| 1-8 GB
| 1-8 GB
| microSD
|-
| Raspberry Pi Foundation
| [[NixOS_on_ARM/Raspberry_Pi 5|Raspberry Pi 5]]
| Broadcom BCM2712
| AArch64
| 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4 GHz
| 4-8 GB
| microSD
| microSD
|-
|-
Line 331: Line 449:
</div>
</div>


==== Special Devices ====
==== Special Devices ==== <!--T:14-->


<!--T:15-->
It is possible to emulate an ARM platform with QEMU.
It is possible to emulate an ARM platform with QEMU.


<div class="table-responsive">
<!--T:16-->
<div class="table">
{|class="table"
{|class="table"
!width="2%"| Manufacturer
!width="2%"| Manufacturer
Line 355: Line 475:
</div>
</div>


== Installation ==
== Installation == <!--T:17-->
 
=== Getting the installer ===


==== UEFI iso ====
<!--T:18-->
{{main|NixOS_on_ARM/Installation}}


Continue to the [[NixOS on ARM/UEFI|UEFI]] page.
== Initial configuration == <!--T:19-->


==== SD card images (SBCs and similar platforms) ====
<!--T:20-->
{{main|NixOS_on_ARM/Initial_Configuration}}


For AArch64 it is possible to download images from Hydra.
== Troubleshooting == <!--T:21-->


* [https://hydra.nixos.org/job/nixos/release-22.11/nixos.sd_image.aarch64-linux 22.11]
<!--T:22-->
* [https://hydra.nixos.org/job/nixos/trunk-combined/nixos.sd_image.aarch64-linux unstable (LTS kernel)]
=== Hanging at <code>Starting kernel ...</code> ===
* [https://hydra.nixos.org/job/nixos/trunk-combined/nixos.sd_image_new_kernel_no_zfs.aarch64-linux unstable (Latest kernel)]
When booting a NixOS system, it may look like it is hung at <code>Starting kernel ...</code>.


On the page click on the latest successful build to get a download link under build products. If the image has the extension <code>.zst</code>, it will need to be decompressed before writing to installation device. Use <code>nix-shell -p zstd --run "unzstd <img-name>.img.zst"</code> to decompress the image.
<!--T:23-->
It is unlikely to be hung at this part. This is the last message printed by U-Boot. U-Boot prints to both the display and the console at once.


=== Installation steps ===
<!--T:24-->
To view the kernel messages and boot output, the “<code>stdout</code>” of the kernel needs to be configured appropriately.


The .img files can be directly written to a microSD/SD card (minimal recommended size: 4 GB) using dd, once uncompressed from the ZSTD container. The SD card needs to be unmounted first.
<!--T:25-->
The kernel's <code>stdout</code> will differ depending on semantics.


The base images are configured to boot up with a serial TTY ( RX/TX UART ) @ 115200 Baud. That way you not necessarily have to have a HDMI Display and keyboard.
<!--T:26-->
* When there are no valid <code>console=</code> kernel command-line arguments, it will default to the <code>/chosen/stdout-path</code> device tree property. (Generally a serial console.)
* When valid <code>console=</code> parameters are present, the kernel picks the leftmost valid one as <code>stdout</code>.


{{note| For some platforms, manually editing and adding kernel command-line arguments to <code>/boot/extlinux/extlinux.conf</code> may be needed for serial to work, and is "as" supported as would be editing the command-line manually during boot.}}
<!--T:27-->
In other words, the solution may be to enable the appropriate <code>console=</code> parameters according to your hardware configuration and system.


Continue with [[#NixOS installation & configuration]].
<!--T:28-->
* For the display, add <code>console=tty0</code>.
* For a serial console, refer to the target device configuration.


== Binary cache ==
=== Details about the boot process === <!--T:29-->


=== AArch64 ===
<!--T:30-->
NixOS can also be booted through [[NixOS on ARM/UEFI|UEFI]] on ARM. The semantics are generally the same as on other architectures. Do note that the common use of Device Tree instead of ACPI in consumer-class hardware [[NixOS_on_ARM/UEFI#Device_Trees|''may'' make this a bit more awkward]].


The [https://hydra.nixos.org/ official NixOS Hydra] instance builds a full set of binaries (available on https://cache.nixos.org) for the AArch64 architecture on the nixpkgs-unstable and stable channels.
<!--T:31-->
Otherwise, in SBC-class hardware, it is common that boards are generally expected to use U-Boot as the platform firmware and bootloader. See the section about [[U-Boot#Using NixOS with U-Boot|using NixOS with U-Boot]].


=== armv6l and armv7l ===
== Binary caches == <!--T:32-->


Some '''''users''''' have provided best effort caches for 32 bit ARM, but none are currently available.
=== AArch64 === <!--T:33-->


== Build your own image natively ==
<!--T:34-->
The [https://hydra.nixos.org/ official NixOS Hydra] instance builds a full set of binaries (available on https://cache.nixos.org) for the AArch64 architecture on the nixpkgs-unstable and stable channels.


You can customize image by using the following snippet.
=== armv6l and armv7l === <!--T:35-->


<syntaxHighlight lang=nix>
<!--T:36-->
# save as sd-image.nix somewhere
Some '''''users''''' have provided best effort caches in the past for 32 bit ARM, but none are currently available.
{ ... }: {
  imports = [
    <nixpkgs/nixos/modules/installer/sd-card/sd-image-aarch64.nix>
  ];
  # put your own configuration here, for example ssh keys:
  users.users.root.openssh.authorizedKeys.keys = [
    "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1.... username@tld"
  ];
}
</syntaxHighlight>


Then build with:
== Getting Support == <!--T:37-->


<syntaxHighlight lang=nix>
<!--T:38-->
$ nix-build '<nixpkgs/nixos>' -A config.system.build.sdImage -I nixos-config=./sd-image.nix
There is a dedicated room for the upstream NixOS effort on Matrix,
</syntaxHighlight>
[https://matrix.to/#/#nixos-on-arm:nixos.org #nixos-on-arm:nixos.org].


Note that this requires a machine with aarch64. You can however also build it from your laptop using an aarch64 remote builder as described in [[Distributed build]] or ask for access on the [https://github.com/nix-community/aarch64-build-box community aarch64 builder].
<!--T:39-->
Don't hesitate to ask questions. Note that reply times may vary greatly, depending on the provided information.


if you use the experimental flake, instead of doing the above stuff, can put the following lines in <code>flake.nix</code>, <code>git add flake.nix</code> and build with <code>nix build .#images.rpi2</code>:
== Resources == <!--T:40-->


<syntaxHighlight lang=nix>
=== See also === <!--T:41-->
{
  description = "Build image";
  inputs.nixpkgs.url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-22.11";
  outputs = { self, nixpkgs }: rec {
    nixosConfigurations.rpi2 = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      modules = [
        "${nixpkgs}/nixos/modules/installer/sd-card/sd-image-raspberrypi.nix"
        {
          nixpkgs.config.allowUnsupportedSystem = true;
          nixpkgs.hostPlatform.system = "armv7l-linux"
          nixpkgs.buildPlatform.system = "x86_64-linux";
          # ... extra configs as above
        }
      ];
    };
    images.rpi2 = nixosConfigurations.rpi2.config.system.build.sdImage;
  };
}
</syntaxHighlight>
 
=== Cross-compiling ===
 
It is possible to cross-compile from a different architecture. To cross-compile to <code>armv7l</code>, on the same <code>sd-image.nix</code> add in <code>crossSystem</code>:
 
<syntaxHighlight lang=nix>
{ ... }: {
  nixpkgs.crossSystem.system = "armv7l-linux";
  imports = [
    <nixpkgs/nixos/modules/installer/sd-card/sd-image-aarch64.nix>
  ];
  # ...
}
</syntaxHighlight>
 
=== Compiling through binfmt QEMU ===
 
It is also possible to compile for aarch64 on your non-aarch64 local machine, or a remote builder, by registering QEMU as a binfmt wrapper for the aarch64 architecture. This <b>wrapper uses emulation</b> and will therefore be slower than comparable native machines or cross-compiling.
 
To enable the binfmt wrapper on NixOS, add the following to <code>configuration.nix</code>
 
<syntaxHighlight lang=nix>
{
  boot.binfmt.emulatedSystems = [ "aarch64-linux" ];
}
</syntaxHighlight>
 
Then, add <code>--argstr system aarch64-linux</code> to the build command:
 
<syntaxHighlight lang=nix>
$ nix-build '<nixpkgs/nixos>' -A config.system.build.sdImage -I nixos-config=./sd-image.nix --argstr system aarch64-linux
</syntaxHighlight>
 
If you are building on non-NixOS machine with QEMU binfmt wrapper configured, you will want to configure nix daemon to let it know that it can build for aarch64. Add the following line to <code>/etc/nix/nix.conf</code>:
<code>extra-platforms = aarch64-linux arm-linux</code>
{{note| archlinux users can install <code>extra/qemu-system-aarch64</code>, <code>extra/qemu-user-static</code> and <code>extra/binfmt-qemu-static</code>
and restart <code>systemd-binfmt.service</code>. Check if binfmt is loaded by <code>ls  /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc/</code> (there must be  <code>qemu-aarch64</code> or needed architecture) and add line <code><nowiki>extra-sandbox-paths = /usr/bin/qemu-aarch64</nowiki></code> to <code>/etc/nix/nix.conf</code>}}
 
If you want to build just one specific package, use this:
<syntaxHighlight lang=nix>
nix-build '<nixpkgs/nixos>' -A pkgs.theRequiredPackage --argstr system aarch64-linux -I nixos-config=/path/to/target/machine/nixos/config/copy
</syntaxHighlight>
(the last option should not be required on NixOS machines)
 
=== Compiling through QEMU/kvm ===
 
It is also possible to build nixos images through full emulation using QEMU/kvm but will be way slower than native and binfmt QEMU.
 
== Installer image with custom U-Boot ==
 
The [https://github.com/Mic92/nixos-aarch64-images Mic92/nixos-aarch64-images] repository provides a mechanism to modify the official NixOS installer to embed the board-specific U-Boot firmware required for different boards. This method does not require QEMU or native ARM builds since the existing Hydra-built U-Boot binaries are used.
 
== Board-specific installation notes ==
 
Depending on the board, some additional preparation steps might be needed to make the SD card bootable on your device. All of the board-specific installation notes are now found on their respective pages.
 
== Enable UART ==
 
If you try to use UART to log on NixOS, you might hang on the line "Starting kernel ...". To enable UART, you will need to add at the end of the line that contains <code>loglevel4</code> in the file <code>/extlinux/extlinux.conf</code> the text:
{{file|/extlinux/extlinux.conf||<nowiki>
    console=ttyAMA0,115200n8
</nowiki>}}
{{file|/extlinux/extlinux.conf||<nowiki>
    console=ttyS0,115200n8
</nowiki>}}
The actual device (<code>ttyAMA0</code>, <code>ttyS0</code>, <code>ttyS1</code>) will depend on the hardware.
 
== NixOS installation & configuration ==
 
{{outdated|The kernel version recommendations of this section are severely outdated. This section should be rewritten to be generic and refer people to the board-specific page. Only the board specific page should make recommendations about the kernel.}}
 
The installation image is actually a MBR partition table plus two partitions; a FAT16 /boot and a ext4 root filesystem. The image is designed such that it's possible to directly reuse the SD image's partition layout and "install" NixOS on the very same SD card by simply replacing the default configuration.nix and running nixos-rebuild. Using this installation method is strongly recommended, though if you know exactly what you're doing and how U-Boot on your board works, you can use nixos-install as usual. To help with the SD card installation method, the boot scripts on the image automatically resize the rootfs partition to fit the SD card on the first boot.
 
Use this as a template:
{{file|/etc/nixos/configuration.nix|nix|<nowiki>
{ config, pkgs, lib, ... }:
{
  # NixOS wants to enable GRUB by default
  boot.loader.grub.enable = false;
  # Enables the generation of /boot/extlinux/extlinux.conf
  boot.loader.generic-extlinux-compatible.enable = true;
  # !!! If your board is a Raspberry Pi 1, select this:
  boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_rpi;
  # On other boards, pick a different kernel, note that on most boards with good mainline support, default, latest and hardened should all work
  # Others might need a BSP kernel, which should be noted in their respective wiki entries
 
  # !!! This is only for ARMv6 / ARMv7. Don't enable this on AArch64, cache.nixos.org works there.
  nix.binaryCaches = lib.mkForce [ "https://cache.armv7l.xyz" ];
  nix.binaryCachePublicKeys = [ "cache.armv7l.xyz-1:kBY/eGnBAYiqYfg0fy0inWhshUo+pGFM3Pj7kIkmlBk=" ];
   
  # nixos-generate-config should normally set up file systems correctly
  imports = [ ./hardware-configuration.nix ];
  # If not, you can set them up manually as shown below
  /*
  fileSystems = {
    # Prior to 19.09, the boot partition was hosted on the smaller first partition
    # Starting with 19.09, the /boot folder is on the main bigger partition.
    # The following is to be used only with older images. Note such old images should not be considered supported anymore whatsoever, but if you installed back then, this might be needed
    /*
    "/boot" = {
      device = "/dev/disk/by-label/NIXOS_BOOT";
      fsType = "vfat";
    };
    */
    "/" = {
      device = "/dev/disk/by-label/NIXOS_SD";
      fsType = "ext4";
    };
  };
  */
   
  # !!! Adding a swap file is optional, but recommended if you use RAM-intensive applications that might OOM otherwise.
  # Size is in MiB, set to whatever you want (though note a larger value will use more disk space).
  # swapDevices = [ { device = "/swapfile"; size = 1024; } ];
}</nowiki>}}
Note: the default configuration.nix will contain something like <code>imports = [ <nixos/modules/installer/sd-card/sd-image-armv7l-multiplatform.nix> ];</code> do not include that in your final installation or you will experience interesting problems. It is only for building the installation image!
 
==== First rebuild on ARMv6 and ARMv7 ====
 
{{note|Instructions removed since they referred to a long abandoned user-provided cache...}}
<!--
To make the unsupported ARM experience slightly less painful, the config template adds <code>[...]</code> as a binary cache, which contains a small subset of packages on the unstable channel (though a caution for US users: the server hosting them is physically located in Finland). Note that the binary cache isn't enabled on the prebuilt images, so enable it via the command line when building for the first time:
 
<syntaxhighlight lang="bash">nixos-rebuild switch --fast --option binary-caches [...]/channel --option binary-cache-public-keys [...]-1:XXXXXXXXXXXXXX+XXXXXXXXXXXXXX=%</syntaxhighlight>
-->
 
== Details about the boot process ==
 
On NixOS, all ARM boards are expected to use U-Boot as the firmware and bootloader. NixOS uses [https://github.com/u-boot/u-boot/blob/master/doc/develop/distro.rst U-Boot's Generic Distro Configuration Concept] as the mechanism to communicate boot information (such as path to kernel zImage, initrd, DTB, command line arguments). For a quick TL;DR about the generic distro configuration support: U-Boot is scripted to scan all attached storage devices & partitions and look for a file named <code>/extlinux/extlinux.conf</code> or <code>/boot/extlinux/extlinux.conf</code> (which will be generated by NixOS, just like <code>/boot/grub/grub.cfg</code> is generated on PCs). The partition needs to have its "bootable" flag set.
 
U-Boot also provides an interactive shell and the generation selection menu (just like GRUB). However, support for input or display devices varies greatly, depending on the board. Details for what the boards support in relationship to the boot process are detailed in their respective pages.
 
== Porting NixOS to new boards ==
 
=== The easiest way ===
 
Assuming upstream U-Boot supports the board through a defconfig, it is possible possible to build U-Boot using the cross-compiling architecture from an x86_64 host. Here's a sample use.
 
<syntaxhighlight>
# Assuming you're in a recent nixpkgs checkout
$ nix-shell \
    -I "nixpkgs=$PWD" \
    -p 'let plat = pkgsCross.aarch64-multiplatform; in plat.buildUBoot{defconfig = "orangepi_zero_plus2_defconfig"; extraMeta.platforms = ["aarch64-linux"]; BL31 = "${plat.armTrustedFirmwareAllwinner}/bl31.bin"; filesToInstall = ["u-boot-sunxi-with-spl.bin"];}'
</syntaxhighlight>
 
For armv7 and armv6 <code>pkgsCross.arm-embedded</code> should work, this is available in the unstable channel (19.03 and following) by setting <code>-I "nixpkgs=/path/to/new-nixpkgs-checkout</code>.
 
This should build whatever is needed for, and then build U-Boot for the desired defconfig, then open a shell with the build in <code>$buildInputs</code>. Do note that this particular invocation may need more changes than only the defconfig if built for other than allwinner boards.
 
Here's an example command, for allwinner boards, on how to write to an SD card.
 
<syntaxhighlight>
$ sudo dd if=$buildInputs/u-boot-sunxi-with-spl.bin of=/dev/sdX bs=1024 seek=8
</syntaxhighlight>
 
=== The easy way ===
 
''(if you're lucky)''
 
If your board is an ARMv7 board supported by multi_v7_defconfig and you have access to U-Boot on the board, getting <code>sd-image-armv7l-linux.img</code> to boot is the easiest option:
 
* If you're lucky and your U-Boot build comes with the extlinux.conf support built in, the image boots out-of-the-box. This is the case for all (upstream) Allwinner and Tegra U-Boots, for instance.
* Otherwise, you can get the boot information (path to kernel zImage, initrd, DTB, command line arguments) by extracting <code>extlinux.conf</code> from the boot partition of the image, and then attempt to boot it via the U-Boot shell, or some other mechanism that your board's distro uses (e.g. <code>uEnv.txt</code>).
 
==== Building U-Boot from your NixOS PC ====
 
Assuming
 
* Your board is supported upstream by U-Boot or there is a recent enough fork with <code>extlinux.conf</code> support.
* You do not have nix setup on an ARM device
* Your nix isn't setup for cross-compilation
 
It is still possible to build U-Boot using tools provided by NixOS.
 
In the following terminal session, replace <code>orangepi_pc_defconfig</code> with the appropriate board [http://git.denx.de/?p=u-boot.git;a=tree;f=configs;hb=HEAD from the configs folder] of U-Boot.
 
{{Commands|<nowiki>
$ nix-shell -E 'with import <nixpkgs> {}; stdenv.mkDerivation { name = "arm-shell"; buildInputs = [git gnumake gcc gcc-arm-embedded dtc]; }'
$ git clone git://git.denx.de/u-boot.git
$ cd u-boot
# We're checking out a version from before the use of `binman`.
# The dtc package is 1.4.2, which does not include `pylibftd`.
# Furthermore, I do not know how to package the library so it would be
# available in the python interpreter, making binman happy.
$ git checkout v2017.03
$ make -j4 CROSS_COMPILE=arm-none-eabi- orangepi_pc_defconfig
$ make -j4 CROSS_COMPILE=arm-none-eabi-
</nowiki>}}
 
The name of the final file will change depending on the board. For this specific build, and most Allwinner builds, the file will be named <code>u-boot-sunxi-with-spl.bin</code>.
 
You can flash this file to boot device with
 
{{Commands|<nowiki>
dd if=u-boot-sunxi-with-spl.bin of=/dev/sdX bs=1024 seek=8
</nowiki>}}
 
Note: This mailing list contains a patch which may help some builds: https://lists.denx.de/pipermail/u-boot/2016-December/275664.html
 
=== The hard way ===
 
Alternatively/if all else fails, you can do it the hard way and bootstrap NixOS from an existing ARM Linux installation.
 
=== Contributing new boards to nixpkgs ===
 
* Add a new derivation for your board's U-Boot configuration, see for example ubootPine64LTS in {{Nixpkgs Link|short=all-packages.nix|pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix}}.
* If your board's U-Boot configuration doesn't use the <code>extlinux.conf</code> format by default, create a patch to enable it. Some C hacking skills & U-Boot knowledge might be required. For some pointers, see this patch to enable it on the Versatile Express.
* Make a pull request, also containing the board-specific instructions.
 
== Support ==
 
Only AArch64 is supported by NixOS.
 
All 32 bit ARM platforms are experimental for the time being.
 
There is a dedicated room for the upstream effort on Matrix,
[https://matrix.to/#/#nixos-on-arm:nixos.org #nixos-on-arm:nixos.org].


== Resources ==
<!--T:42-->
* [[U-Boot]], as it is often paired with SBC-class hardware.
* [https://mobile.nixos.org/ Mobile NixOS], which provides enhanced semantic around some non-standard boot semantics.


=== Subpages ===
=== Subpages === <!--T:43-->


<!--T:44-->
The following is a list of all sub-pages of the ''NixOS on ARM'' topic.
The following is a list of all sub-pages of the ''NixOS on ARM'' topic.


<!--T:45-->
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</translate>

Latest revision as of 03:15, 10 October 2024

Other languages:
NixOS supports 64-bit ARM.

The support level for ARM overall varies depending on the architecture and the specific ecosystems and boards.

The way the ARM integration is built into NixOS is by making generic builds the first-class citizens. This means that as soon as there is upstream support for the board in the kernel and platform firmware, NixOS should work once those are updated.

It is still possible, when needed, to build and use a customized platform firmware and kernel for specific boards[reference needed].

At this moment in time (early 2024) only AArch64 has full support upstream. With that said, neither armv6l or armv7l are being ignored, fixes are worked on and approved as needed. What's missing is support and builds being maintained in binary form. At the time of writing, no publicly available caches for armv6l or armv7l are available.

For images links, including UEFI install, skip to the Installation page.

Supported devices

Table legend:

Upstream (NixOS) supported devices

NixOS has support for these boards using AArch64 architecture on the nixpkgs-unstable and stable channel.

Support for those board assumes as much is supported as Mainline Linux supports.

Manufacturer Board SoC ISA CPU RAM Storage
Raspberry Pi Foundation Raspberry Pi 3 Broadcom BCM2837 AArch64 / ARMv7 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.2 - 1.4 GHz 1 GB SD/microSD
Raspberry Pi Foundation Raspberry Pi 4 Broadcom BCM2711 AArch64 / ARMv7 4× Cortex-A72 @ 1.5 - 1.8 GHz 1-8 GB microSD, eMMC

Community supported devices

These boards are not routinely verified as working.

The baseline support level expected is “Just as much as mainline Linux and U-Boot supports them”, except if specified otherwise.

Manufacturer Board SoC ISA CPU RAM Storage
Apple Apple Silicon Macs M1/M1 Pro/M1 Max AArch64 — — NVMe
ASUS Tinker Board Rockchip RK3288 ARMv7 4× Cortex-A17 2 GB microSD
Banana Pi Banana Pi Allwinner A20 ARMv7 2× Cortex-A7 1 GB SD, SATA
Banana Pi M64 Banana Pi M64 Allwinner A64 AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 2 GB microSD, 8GB eMMc
Banana Pi BPI-M5 Banana Pi BPI-M5 Amlogic S905X3 AArch64 4× Cortex-A55 4 GB LPDDR4 microSD, 16G eMMC
BeagleBoard.org BeagleBone Black TI AM335x (src) ARMv7 1× Cortex-A8 @ 1 GHz 512 MB 4 GB eMMC, microSD
Firefly AIO-3399C Rockchip RK3399 AArch64 2× Cortex-A72 @ 2.0 GHz, 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 Ghz 2/4 GB 8/16 GB eMMC, microSD
FriendlyElec NanoPC-T4 Rockchip RK3399 AArch64 2× Cortex-A72 @ 2.0 GHz, 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 Ghz 4 GB 16 GB eMMC, microSD, NVMe
FriendlyElec NanoPi-M4 Rockchip RK3399 AArch64 2× Cortex-A72 @ 2.0 GHz, 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 Ghz 4 GB optional eMMC, microSD
FriendlyElec NanoPi-R6C Rockchip RK3588S AArch64 4× ARM Cortex-A76 @ 2.4 GHz, 4× Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 Ghz 4 GB / 8 GB optional eMMC, microSD, NVMe
Hardkernel ODROID-HC1 & ODROID-HC2 Samsung Exynos 5422 ARMv7 4× Cortex-A15 @ 2GHz, 4× Cortex-A7 @ 1.4GHz 2 GB microSD
Hardkernel ODROID-C2 Amlogic S905 AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5GHz 2 GB eMMC, microSD
Hardkernel ODROID-HC4 Amlogic S905X3 AArch64 4× Cortex-A55 @ 1.8GHz 4 GB microSD, SATA
Kosagi Kosagi Novena i.MX6 ARMv7 4× Cortex-A9 @ 1.2 GHz 4 GB microSD, SATA
Libre Computer ROC-RK3399-PC Rockchip RK3399 AArch64 2× Cortex-A72 @ 2.0 GHz, 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 Ghz 4 GB eMMC, microSD, NVMe
Libre Computer ROC-RK3328-CC Rockchip RK3328 AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.4GHz 4 GB eMMC, microSD
Libre Computer AML-S905X-CC-V2 Amlogic S905X AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.512 GHz 1/2GB eMMC, microSD
Linksprite pcDuino3 Nano Allwinner A20 ARMv7 2× Cortex-A7 @ 1 GHz 1 GB 4 GB NAND, microSD, SATA
NVIDIA Jetson TK1 Tegra K1/T124 ARMv7 4× Cortex-A15 @ 2.3 GHz 2 GB 16 GB eMMC, SD, SATA
NXP i.MX 8M Plus EVK i.MX 8M Plus AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.8 Ghz 6 GB 32 GB eMMC, microSD
NXP i.MX 8M Quad EVK i.MX 8M Quad AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 Ghz + 1× Cortex-M4 3 GB 16 GB eMMC, microSD
OLIMEX Teres-A64 AllWinner A64 AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.1 GHz 2GB 16 GB eMMC, microSD
Orange Pi Orange Pi One Allwinner H3 ARMv7 4× Cortex-A7 @ 1.2 GHz 512 MB microSD
Orange Pi Orange Pi PC Allwinner H3 ARMv7 4× Cortex-A7 @ 1.6 GHz 1 GB SD/microSD
Orange Pi Orange Pi Zero Plus2 (H5) Allwinner H5 AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.2 GHz 1 GB SD/microSD + 8GB eMMC
Orange Pi Orange Pi Zero2 (H616) Allwinner H616 AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.2 GHz 1 GB SD/microSD + 2MB SPI Flash
Orange Pi Orange Pi R1 Plus LTS Rockchip RK3328 AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz 1 GB microSD
Orange Pi Orange Pi 5 Rockchip RK3588s AArch64 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz, 4×Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz 4/8/16 GB microSD, NVMe
Orange Pi Orange Pi 5 Plus Rockchip RK3588 AArch64 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz, 4×Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz 4/8/16 GB eMMC, microSD, NVMe
PINE64 PINE A64-LTS Allwinner R18 AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ ? GHz 2 GB microSD & eMMC
PINE64 Pinebook Allwinner A64 AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ ? Ghz 2 GB microSD & eMMC
PINE64 Pinebook Pro Rockchip RK3399 AArch64 2× Cortex-A72 @ 2.0 GHz, 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 Ghz 4 GB microSD & eMMC
PINE64 ROCK64 Rockchip RK3328 AArch64 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz 1/2/4 GB microSD/eMMC
PINE64 ROCKPro64 Rockchip RK3399 AArch64 2× Cortex-A72 @ 2.0 GHz, 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 Ghz 2/4 GB microSD/eMMC
Clockworkpi uConsole A06 Rockchip RK3399 AArch64 2× Cortex-A72 @ 2.0 GHz, 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 Ghz 4 GB microSD
Radxa ROCK 4 Rockchip RK3399 AArch64 2× Cortex-A72, 4×Cortex-A53 2/4 GB eMMC, microSD, NVMe via expansion board
Radxa ROCK5 Model B Rockchip RK3588 AArch64 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz, 4×Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz 4/8/16 GB eMMC, microSD, NVMe
Radxa ROCK5 Model A Rockchip RK3588s AArch64 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4GHz, 4×Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz 4/8/16 GB eMMC, microSD, NVMe
Raspberry Pi Foundation Raspberry Pi Broadcom BCM2835 ARMv6 1 × ARM1176 @ 700 MHz 256 MB / 512 MB SD/microSD
Raspberry Pi Foundation Raspberry Pi 2 Broadcom BCM2836 ARMv7 4× Cortex-A7 @ 900 MHz 1 GB SD/microSD
Raspberry Pi Foundation Raspberry Pi 3 Broadcom BCM2837 AArch64 / ARMv7 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.2 GHz 1 GB SD/microSD
Raspberry Pi Foundation Raspberry Pi 4 Broadcom BCM2711 AArch64 / ARMv7 4× Cortex-A53 @ 1.5 GHz 1-8 GB microSD
Raspberry Pi Foundation Raspberry Pi 5 Broadcom BCM2712 AArch64 4× Cortex-A76 @ 2.4 GHz 4-8 GB microSD
Toshiba AC100 (mini laptop) Tegra 2 250 (T20) ARMv7 2× Cortex-A9 @ 1 GHz 512 MB 8­­–32 GB eMMC, SD
Wandboard Wandboard Solo/Dual/Quad Freescale i.MX6 ARMv7 1×/2×/4× Cortex-A9 @ 1000 MHz 512 MB / 1 GB / 2 GB microSD, SATA

Special Devices

It is possible to emulate an ARM platform with QEMU.

Manufacturer Board SoC ISA CPU RAM Storage
QEMU QEMU — ARMv7 up to 8 up to 2 GB Anything QEMU supports

Installation

Initial configuration

Troubleshooting

Hanging at Starting kernel ...

When booting a NixOS system, it may look like it is hung at Starting kernel ....

It is unlikely to be hung at this part. This is the last message printed by U-Boot. U-Boot prints to both the display and the console at once.

To view the kernel messages and boot output, the “stdout” of the kernel needs to be configured appropriately.

The kernel's stdout will differ depending on semantics.

  • When there are no valid console= kernel command-line arguments, it will default to the /chosen/stdout-path device tree property. (Generally a serial console.)
  • When valid console= parameters are present, the kernel picks the leftmost valid one as stdout.

In other words, the solution may be to enable the appropriate console= parameters according to your hardware configuration and system.

  • For the display, add console=tty0.
  • For a serial console, refer to the target device configuration.

Details about the boot process

NixOS can also be booted through UEFI on ARM. The semantics are generally the same as on other architectures. Do note that the common use of Device Tree instead of ACPI in consumer-class hardware may make this a bit more awkward.

Otherwise, in SBC-class hardware, it is common that boards are generally expected to use U-Boot as the platform firmware and bootloader. See the section about using NixOS with U-Boot.

Binary caches

AArch64

The official NixOS Hydra instance builds a full set of binaries (available on https://cache.nixos.org) for the AArch64 architecture on the nixpkgs-unstable and stable channels.

armv6l and armv7l

Some users have provided best effort caches in the past for 32 bit ARM, but none are currently available.

Getting Support

There is a dedicated room for the upstream NixOS effort on Matrix, #nixos-on-arm:nixos.org.

Don't hesitate to ask questions. Note that reply times may vary greatly, depending on the provided information.

Resources

See also

  • U-Boot, as it is often paired with SBC-class hardware.
  • Mobile NixOS, which provides enhanced semantic around some non-standard boot semantics.

Subpages

The following is a list of all sub-pages of the NixOS on ARM topic.

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