Former Debian project leader Martin Michlmayr is beta-testing a “debian-installer” for devices based on Marvell's Feroceon architecture. The installer works with the upcoming “Lenny” release of Debian (currently “testing”), and is tested with Qnap Systems's TS-109, TS-209, and TS-409 Pro Turbo… network-attached storage (NAS) devices.

(Click for larger view of the Qnap TS-409 Pro Turbo)

Michlmayr announced an unstable “developer release” of the Qnap port in May, at the time only supporting the TS-109 and TS-209 systems. The port now also supports the four-bay TS-409 Pro Turbo (pictured above). Like many Linux-based NAS systems, the Qnap models are based on Marvell's Feroceon architecture, a micro-architecture implementation of the ARM Ltd.'s ARMv5 architecture. Feroceon received explicit support in Linux 2.6.25. An indepth report on Michlmayr's Debian installer is available in our earlier coverage, here.

Qnap TS-109 (Click for details)

“You can consider the daily image as a beta release of RC1 of the debian-installer for Debian lenny,” writes Michlmayr. “It should only be used by experienced users and only if you can make a serial console in case something goes wrong.” He notes that the images change daily, as do the daily Debian “testing” changes, but notes that the testing release “should be fairly stable since we're close to the freeze of testing in preparation for the release of Debian lenny.”

Availability

Michlmayr's blog and links to downloads for the three Qnap NAS systems should be available here.

 
This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.