CachyOS August 2024 Release: Enhanced Hardware Detection And Infrastructure

CachyOS has released its ninth update of the year, this time focusing on improved hardware detection and infrastructure enhancements.

Major changes include automatic utilisation of open NVIDIA modules, the inclusion of the latest NVIDIA Beta driver, and the availability of the Cosmic Desktop Environment as an installation option.

Infrastructure improvements include CDN77 sponsorship, providing a worldwide cache CDN for faster connection speeds, and the introduction of a dedicated Arch Linux mirror to prevent dependency issues.

Other notable additions are a Secure Boot script, automatic user partition mounting in cachy-chroot, and official support for the Ally X in the Handheld Edition.

The update also includes numerous bug fixes and improvements to various components, such as the Kernel Manager, ISO, and game-performance script.

Major Changes in CachyOS August 2024 Release

Open NVIDIA Modules

One of the major changes is the automatic utilization of open NVIDIA modules for hardware detection.

Existing users with NVIDIA cards that support the Open Module (20xx or higher) can switch to the nvidia-open driver by running:

sudo pacman -S linux-cachyos-nvidia-open

Users who prefer the closed-source modules can revert by running:

sudo pacman -S linux-cachyos-nvidia

Extensive testing has been conducted on the latest NVIDIA Beta driver (560), which appears stable after its second beta release and is now the default.

CachyOS Cosmic DE

A significant addition to this release is the inclusion of the Cosmic Desktop Environment as an installation option.

While the installation will utilize the stable Alpha 1 release, packages based on the latest commit are also available for users who want to stay on the bleeding edge. Existing users can install Cosmic by running:

sudo pacman -S cosmic-session

which installs the base packages.

Additional packages such as cosmic-text-editor, cosmic-terminal, and cosmic-store are available as well.

CDN77 Partnership

CachyOS announced a partnership with CDN77, a worldwide cache CDN sponsor. This collaboration significantly improves connection speeds for users, particularly in regions that were previously underserved by the existing mirrors. The CDN has undergone three weeks of testing by the CachyOS team and the community, receiving positive feedback.

Dedicated Arch Mirror

Addressing the persistent issue of mirror ranking often selecting outdated mirrors, CachyOS now provides its own Arch Linux mirror and Cache CDN (CDN77), set as the default during installation. This ensures fast and reliable package delivery from the CDN. Two fallback mirrors hosted by CachyOS and one Tier 1 mirror from Arch Linux are also used.

Feature Summary

The August release brings a wide range of new features and improvements:

• Secure Boot: A new script simplifies the handling of Secure Boot. A detailed Wiki page explaining the usage of sbctl is also available.
• Enhanced cachy-chroot: The cachy-chroot program now automatically mounts user partitions from the Live ISO, making it easier to troubleshoot system issues. It identifies mounted filesystems and subvolumes in fstab, mounts them correctly, and chroots into the system. Additionally, LUKS support has been added.
• Improved Hardware Detection: The PRIME/Hybrid Profile detection in CachyOS Hardware Detection has been improved and is now based on device names for easier detection of mobile chips. The RTD3 Workaround has been removed due to issues on some setups. Users can refer to the wiki for a guide on manual application if needed.
• Kernel Manager Upgrades: The Kernel Manager boasts several new fixes and changes. Users can now pass custom flags to each scheduler via the GUI in the sched-ext configuration.
• NVIDIA Open Module: NVIDIA-open modules for custom-built kernels have been added, and the Kernel Manager now remembers the last used options for custom builds. Fixes for password prompt handling delays and building with a custom pkgname with LTO and NVIDIA modules enabled are also implemented.
• Package Updates: The package updates for this CachyOS release include linux-cachyos 6.10.5, mesa 24.2.0, Plasma 6.1.4, and NVIDIA 560.31.02.

Other notable improvements include:

• Common fixes applied to the ISO, game-performance script, Calamares, and mirror ranking on the Live ISO.
• Replacement of radeon.modeset=1 with amdgpu.modeset=1 for modern GPUs in the ISO.

Handheld Edition Updates:

• Official support for the Ally X gaming device, thanks to the contributions of Luke Jones, ChimeraOS, and Bazzite.
• KWin's libei replaces libextest for Wayland Input Emulation.
• PackageKit is blocked on the Handheld Edition to prevent issues with system updates via Discover.
• Updates to jupiter-fan-control, steamdeck-dsp, and Steam Deck firmware.

Download CachyOS

This release is packed with exciting new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes. You can download the latest ISO images for both the Desktop and Handheld editions from the CachyOS website.

Conclusion

Overall, the August 2024 CachyOS release focuses on delivering a faster, more reliable, and feature-rich user experience.

The introduction of the Cosmic desktop environment, the global CDN partnership, and dedicated Arch mirror, along with various improvements and bug fixes, demonstrate a strong commitment to continuous improvement and user satisfaction.

Resource:

• CachyOS August 2024 Release