SUSE has released the first 64-bit Linux-based OS for Raspberry Pi 3 to allow users to experience the expanse of its device. The latest version is packaged as an image that can be easily be transferred to an SD card with GCC and other development tools.
The recent development includes a btrfs file system that allows simpler administration. Moreover, a more convenient graphical user interface is to be expected. To get the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) working on the Raspberry Pi 3, special adaptations were required. This includes creating a platform to use uboot for an EFI boot environment. Patches were also added to enable WiFi and Bluetooth support.
SUSE Linux Takes the Raspberry Pi 3 Under Its Wing
In a statement at the SUSE Blog, SUSE said that working on the Raspberry Pi 3 was an opportunity to introduce SLES to the many individuals who don't have experience with SUSE Linux. The company then adds that Raspberry PI would be really "cool" platform to exhibit the capabilities of SLES at trade shows with the support of Eben Upton, CEO of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
There is a catch, though: not all SLES capabilities are enabled for Raspberry Pi 3. Given the limited memory resources on the Pi, SUSE used the ICE Window Manager as the default. "Because there have been several ARM enhancements in the latest levels of gcc, you should use gcc-6 instead of gcc for compiling programs," SUSE stated.
More On Raspberry Pi 3
According to Raspberry Pi's official website, the Raspberry Pi 3, with its-quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor, is its first device that supports ARM's A64 instruction set and the ARMv8 architecture. The 64-bit Linux-based OS release with support for wireless networking and Bluetooth is its first collaboration with SUSE, which has recently upstreamed the patches to make the project work.
