[OS] SkiffOS and Buildroot for Rockpro64 w/ 5.17 kernel

[paralin1]

Megi kernel 5.17.x with ayufan patches merged in is now available for Rockpro64 w/ SkiffOS.

SkiffOS adds a configuration layering system to the Buildroot cross-compiler, which makes it easy to re-target applications to new hardware. Layers are merged together as specified in the SKIFF_CONFIG comma-separated environment variable.

As a basic example: SKIFF_CONFIG=pine64/rockpro64,core/gentoo starts Gentoo on a Odroid N2+ in a Docker container. You can ssh to the "core" user to enter the Gentoo environment.

The default configuration produces a minimal (~100Mb) in-RAM host OS with SSH and network connectivity, and includes a comprehensive set of debug tools. The host OS can be easily remotely updated with the push_image script, using rsync.

The "skiff/core" layer enables Docker ("apps/docker") and a default environment based on Ubuntu with a full graphical desktop environment. Others including "core/gentoo" and "core/dietpi" are available.

The SkiffOS host OS separates hardware-specific support from the containerized user environments, simplifying management of updates across multiple hardware combinations.

The guide for build + flash SD card on Rockpro64 and other boards (including Pinephone):

https://github.com/skiffos/SkiffOS/tree/.../rockpro64



Note: this is a cross-compiler, you can build it on a faster machine & install to the Odroid. (No need to build on the device).