A new Linux kernel has been implemented in the OS

Aug 8, 2015 07:32 GMT  ·  By

A new Snappy Ubuntu Core 15.04 has been announced for Raspberry Pi 2, and users have been advised to re-flash their systems as soon as possible.

Canonical arrived late with an OS for Raspberry Pi 2, but they didn't just port the regular Ubuntu OS. They've published an image based on Snappy Ubuntu Core 15.04, their latest version of the Ubuntu OS, which is based on the new Snappy package and is mostly aimed at IoT devices.

IoT is a concept that brings together devices that can be connected online, whether it's a mini-PC like Raspberry Pi 2 or a smart fridge. All of these devices can either run their own operating system or they can be governed by one. Snappy Ubuntu Core 15.04 comes with its own Software Center, with dedicated apps.

The second Snappy Ubuntu Core 15.04 images brings a new kernel

One of the main features of the Snappy Ubuntu Core distro is its ability to roll back updates and to receive ubuntu-core rootfs. This latest version of OS made some serious improvements in this regard.

"The image has been ported to our new u-boot handling which now finally makes ubuntu-core rootfs updates (and rollback) possible. Note that neither the kernel nor the oem part can be updated on not fully supported images (i.e. not using the mainline kernel). This should still be a massive improvement for everyone using the Pi image, though," notes Canonical's Oliver Grawert in the official announcement.

Also, according to the changelog, the u-boot build now comes from the denx.de mainline git tree, the Linux kernel has been updated to version 3.19.1-12-generic-bcm2709, I2C has been enabled by default in this build, and the settings from config.txt are now respected and used as described upstream.

You can download the second Snappy Ubuntu Core 15.04 edition for Raspberry Pi 2 from the official servers.