Release Announcement: Nitrux 3.9.0 “pd”

We are pleased to announce the launch of Nitrux 3.9.0. This new version combines the latest software updates, bug fixes, performance improvements, and ready-to-use hardware support.

Nitrux 3.9.0. is available immediately.

🔰 Information: The codename for this release is “pd,” which highlights the switch from using TLP to power-profiles-daemon.

⚠️ Important: Despite the efforts and improvements in this and previous releases, we’re not claiming to be security or forensic experts or that the distribution is “impenetrable” or “unhackable,” so there isn’t any misunderstanding. Suggestions to continue improving on this area are welcome at our organization at GitHub (open a new discussion).

🔰 Information: The ISO file is signed with a GPG key, and we only provide SHA512 checksum files; please check the Notes to know more.

Consider sponsoring Nitrux at Open Collective or Ko-fi. By sponsoring Nitrux, you give the development team a regular and predictable income to cover our hosting, development, and hardware testing costs.

✨ What’s new

We recommend new users do a fresh installation using the latest media. For users of the previous version (3.8.0), please check the Notes for information about upgrading Nitrux.

Nitrux 3.9.0 build.010225.pd uses Linux 6.12.11-2 (Liquorix)

We’ve updated the following components to the distribution.

• Firefox to version 132.0.2.
• Processor microcode firmware for Intel processors to version 3.20241112.1.
• MOKutil to version 0.6.0-2.
• SBsign collection of tools to version 0.9.4-3.
• Secure Boot updates for DB and DBX to version 1.9build1.
• Secure Boot chain-loading bootloader (shim) to version 1.59.
• AMD Open Source Driver for Vulkan® to version 2024.Q4.3.
• OpenRC to version 0.56.
• Intel SOF firmware to version 2024.09.2.
• Rsync to version 3.3.0+ds1-4, which includes backported security patches from version 3.4.0.
• Flatpak to version 1.16.0.
• We fully updated our desktop settings to utilize fingerprint authentication in SDDM and Plasma.
  • 🔰 Information: To enable fingerprint authentication, see Using Fingerprint Authentication in Nitrux.
• We revised the script that automatically updates the documentation to ensure its functionality and log its actions.
• We updated our touchpad settings to also apply to more touchpad devices.
• We updated the Live user package to add the user to the video group.
• We updated our package providing various NVIDIA OpenRC services to use a PID file when running the service for nvidia-powerd.
• We updated our linux-firmware package up to commit 722d0d12 and split some of its contents into other packages for easier management.
  • Other updated packages include:
    • firmware-amd-nitrux
    • firmware-atheros-nitrux
    • firmware-brcm-nitrux
    • firmware-intel-nitrux
    • firmware-mediatek-nitrux
    • firmware-realtek-nitrux
• We updated our OpenRC service to start BlueZ and its related daemons (meshd and obexd) with improved scripts.
• Distrobox to version 1.8.1.2.
• We fully revised our startup script for Touchegg, ensuring the solid start of the daemon and client, including monitoring the client in case of crashes.
• NetworkManager to version 1.50.1.
• We revised the default parameters of the distribution when booting the kernel. These changes include the following:
  • Use the correct value when randomizing kernel stack offsets.
  • Disable KFENCE (Kernel Electric Fence) for slightly faster memory allocation.
• We revised the modules added to the initrd used by the Hyper-V hypervisor when booting Nitrux to include the correct modules.
• NVIDIA Linux x64 (AMD64/EM64T) Display Driver to version 570.86.16.
• MESA 3D Graphics Library to version 24.3.4.
• PipeWire to version 1.3.81.
• Wireplumber to version 0.5.7.
• We updated the install scripts for Bottles and Heroic Games Launcher to install the matching SDK runtime and use the correct icon in the notifications while installing.
• We updated the install script for Bauh to create a desktop launcher instead of using the launcher created by appimaged.
• We updated our SDDM configuration to use rootless Wayland by default.
• CoreCtrl to version 1.4.3.
• OpenSSL to version 3.4.0.

We’ve added the following components to the distribution.

• New parameters were added to the distribution when booting the kernel. These changes include the following:
  • Mitigate spurious wake events in USB devices using the module xhci.
  • Enable the Landlock Linux security module.
  • Consolidate the Linux security modules (Capability, AppArmor, Yama, BPF, and Landlock) used in Nitrux in a single parameter.
  • Enable Page Table Isolation to mitigate speculative execution attacks like Meltdown.
  • Activate the amd_pstate module for power and performance management.
    • 🔰 Information: This module is not enabled in the kernel configuration of the Liquorix kernel, but we’re enabling it again.
  • Enable the AMD Preferred Core functionality, ensuring tasks are scheduled on the CPU’s most performant cores.
• Nitrux SB Manager is a simple utility that creates machine owner keys (MOK) compatible with Secure Boot.

Nitrux SB Manager, our utility to sign kernels.

• We added configuration files for ALSA Use Case Manager to configure audio input/output names and routing for specific audio hardware.
• We added console-based ALSA utilities for specific hardware.
  • as10k1 – An assembler for the EMU10K1 (EMU10K2) DSP chip.
  • hda-verb – send HD-audio commands to Intel HDA devices.
  • sbiload – OPL2/3 FM instrument loader for the ALSA sequencer.
  • us428control – Controller utility for Tascam US-X2Y.
• We added the Fortinet SSLVPN plugin for NetworkManager.
• We added the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) daemon.
• Configure  udisks2 to enforce sync only for specific filesystems, like vfat (FAT32).
• We added support for the AX88179_178A Linux driver for AX88179 USB 3.0 Ethernet adapters.
• We added support for the XR Linux Driver to recognize supported XR glasses automatically.
• We added compatibility for Imageboot and partial support for Coreboot for GRUB 2.
• We added an environment variable that enables Plasma to load faster by preloading the popups of all plasmoids in the Plasma session.
• Power profiles-daemon is a daemon that modifies system behavior based on user-selected power profiles.
  • 🔰 Information: With it, the power profiles slider in Battery and Brightness→Power Profile can now be used.
• EnvyControl is a CLI tool that makes it easy to switch between GPU modes on NVIDIA Optimus systems (i.e., laptops with hybrid Intel + NVIDIA or AMD + NVIDIA graphics configurations) under Linux.
• Optimus GPU Switcher adds a widget to Plasma that allows easy change between the integrated and discrete GPUs in Optimus laptops using EnvyControl.
  • 🔰 Information: The Optimus GPU Switcher widget version we include with Nitrux is not the upstream version; it’s a fork we’ve fixed, updated, and modified to use with Nitrux.

Optimus GPU Switcher is a widget to Plasma that allows easy change between the integrated and discrete GPUs in Optimus laptops.

We’ve fixed or closed the following issues in the distribution; see Report bugs.

• Fix an issue with ALSA UCM upstream configuration files that prevents audio devices using the Intel SOF firmware from working.
• Fix an issue with the upstream BlueZ configuration that was causing random disconnections with paired devices.
• Fix an issue with VirtualBox not working due to a problem caused by changes in the kvm Linux module.
• Fix an issue with the task manager window thumbnails in Plasma Wayland that caused Plasma not to display them.

We’ve removed the following components from the distribution.

• We revised the default parameters of the distribution when booting the kernel. These changes include the following:
  • Remove the parameter to enable SLUB redzoning and sanity checking due to the significant performance penalty, as it adds overhead to memory allocations and deallocations. The overhead is rarely justified unless a specific memory corruption issue is diagnosed.
• We removed the outdated processor microcode that was shipped with the ISO.
• We removed TLP, our TLP settings, and TLP Radio Wizard in favor of power-profiles-daemon.
  • 🔰 Information: Power profiles-daemon does not have the granularity that TLP does since only three profiles are available. However, it’s better integrated with Plasma.
• We removed the various scripts added by the package nvidia-prime since we never used them, and EnvyControl and our ZSH configuration effectively replaced them.
  • 🔰 Information: This change does not negatively affect the functionality of NVIDIA Optimus laptops.

📥 Download

Here are different ways to download our ISOs.

• ISO — Direct HTTP Download from our server.
• FOSS Torrents (Torrent).

Check our tutorial to verify the ISO file’s integrity and authenticity.

• Import our public key using the command below.
  • 🔰 Information: Starting with Nitrux 3.5.0, the key we use to sign the ISO file will change monthly. Remove the old one from your keyring before adding the new one.

gpg --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 4EBF96E916963A7C1CDF8B4C4A62F0D918937A5B

⛔ Known issues

To see a list of known issues, click here.

🗒 Notes

To see a list of release notes, click here.

🐞 Report bugs

To report bugs, please use our bug tracker on GitHub.

📝 Changelog history

To see a list of previous changelogs, click here for the changes archived at our site or for the changes archived at Sourceforge.

📰 Resources

Here are various articles, tutorials, and other information on our blog.

📢 PSA (Post-release service announcements)

Here’s a list of post-release service announcements for this version of Nitrux.

🚀 Get involved

Everyone can participate in the Nitrux community on many levels, from advising fellow Nitrux users to becoming a maintainer. Any contribution, even the smallest, is valued. To start contributing to Nitrux, click here.