Aurora 2026.10.10.9

AV1 hardware decoding now aligns imported-buffer CDF tails consistently for firmware and CPU access. This fixes the first inter-frame H9 fault observed on the M3 Pro. The updated decoder module produced 12/12 bit-exact 1080p AV1 inter-frame outputs; AV1 intra, H.264 and VP9 controls also passed, for 34 hardware-decoded frames in total. See #138.

Malformed Apple Wi-Fi association events now wake both association waiters instead of leaving the completion waiter pending. Valid repeated-start association timeouts remain tracked separately in #135. See #134.

Existing matched M3/Neo GPU profiles and package pairs are retained. The 25G83 native profile remains experimental and GL-only. This release updates the kernel and headers; Mesa, m1n1 and desktop packages retain their previous versions.

The AV1 hardware check used a temporary decoder module on the M3 Pro, with the original module restored afterward. The newly packaged full kernel has source/build/installer checks, but has not had a fresh full-kernel boot test on M1/M2. These checks do not establish full AV1 conformance or browser playback coverage.

Install or update:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash

For model-specific firmware and GPU activation, follow the attached M3 Air and Neo instructions.

Aurora 2026.10.10.8

Recover ThunderboltIP receive queues after memory-pressure exhaustion, and harden device-coredump and camera IPC handling.

• Retry receive refill every 100 ms while descriptors are missing, through the existing NAPI poll path. Drain retries before disconnect, suspend, shutdown or stop frees the receive pool.
• Initialize Rust device-coredump read buffers, reject oversized results, and require thread-safe ownership for concurrent reads and delayed disposal.
• Reject ISP rings that overlap reserved buffers or each other, or violate address alignment.

Update, then reboot:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash

Existing Neo GPU installations use the same command with bash -s -- --neo-gpu.

Validation: the full ARM64 kernel and headers build, 49 ARM64 KUnit tests (one intentional skip), 88 Thunderbolt receive/lifecycle controls, and 64 generated-installer checks using the actual packages. The final Thunderbolt change also passes an ARM64 module compile and independent review. No new physical boot or dock testing was performed for this increment.

M3 Air 26.6.2 native graphics remains experimental OpenGL; native Vulkan is unavailable. Neo external display support and the M3 Pro AV1 inter-frame fault remain open.

Aurora 2026.10.10.6 — M3 Pro rendering and m1n1 CPU waits

Fix M3 Pro rendering failures and bound secondary CPU waits in m1n1.

• Keep the GPU firmware log buffer clear of render counter pages, fixing ENOSPC and graphics DEVICE_LOST after the 2026.10.10 kernel update.
• Return explicit timeout failures from m1n1 secondary CPU calls instead of waiting indefinitely; retain existing M1/M2/M3 hardware setup and Neo display/GPU handoff.
• Preserve the existing Mesa packages, M3 Air profiles and per-Mac GPU calibration.

Update using the existing installer, then reboot:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash

Existing Neo installations use the same command with bash -s -- --neo-gpu.

M3 Pro on 14.7 passed OpenGL pixel readback with both earlier and current Mesa, Vulkan compute, and desktop regression checks, then returned to its installed kernel. The new m1n1 packages passed ARM64 builds and timeout tests; new m1n1 cold boots and M1/M2/Neo hardware were not tested in this increment.

Aurora 2026.10.10.12

M3 Pro Thunderbolt displays now select the display engine that provides the supported tunnel pixel clock. The shared route retry handles display-engine contention. Intel I210 dock Ethernet drops carrier when PCIe removal is confirmed, rather than retaining a stale link-up state until device teardown.

This release keeps the existing Mesa and bootloader packages. M1/M2 route policies are unchanged.

Hardware validation: the final kernel was booted on an M3 Pro J516S with firmware 14.7 and CalDigit TS3 Plus. 4K60 picture, cable unplug/reconnect, USB/Ethernet re-enumeration, Wayland OpenGL readback and Vulkan compute passed. The M1 Air booted the same kernel with a direct USB-C 4K display attached; boot-health and GUI smoke passed. Automated comparisons found no regressed checks on either Mac; existing failures and recorded warnings remain.

Known limits: M3 system sleep remains blocked while an external display link is active. On this T6030 configuration, dock PCIe/USB/Ethernet support is limited to the original ATC0 port; adding the remaining PCIe tunnel hosts is tracked in #144. NetworkManager still takes roughly 3.7 seconds to switch from dock Ethernet to Wi-Fi; brief connection timeouts can occur. Existing SSH connections using the removed dock's wired IP need reconnecting after switching to Wi-Fi.

Changes: #142, addressing display routing #141 and Ethernet handoff #143.

Install or update using the existing bleeding-edge one-liner:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | sudo bash

Aurora 2026.10.10.10 — Neo bootloader and installer fixes

Fix Neo release-stage2 installation and internal-display handoff.

The installer now accepts the generated ESP_STAGE2 configuration with RELEASE and CHAINLOADING. Previous installers incorrectly rejected this valid bootloader. Stage1 and debug-proxy payloads remain refused.

The Neo bootloader preserves the live H17P display session for Linux takeover instead of requiring extra AP/IOP power-state responses. Firmware ranges, locked DART table reservations, framebuffer and PIODMA checks remain required. A refused external display handoff preserves an admitted internal panel, and /chosen/apple,dcp-handoff-reason records the handoff result.

Changes: m1n1 #1, installer #140. The Neo bootloader package is now revision -10. Kernel 7.1.12.aurora2-20261010.9, kernel headers, Mesa and the standard M1–M3 bootloader packages are unchanged.

Validation: the ARM64 bootloader package built successfully, all 32 boot controls passed, and the assembled installer passed 66 checks. Independent source and package review found no HIGH or MEDIUM issue. Physical Neo panel operation remains unconfirmed; these checks do not establish hardware graphics or suspend/resume qualification. External Neo displays remain unsupported. Valid repeated-start Wi-Fi timeouts remain open in #135.

Neo install or update:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash -s -- --neo-gpu

Reboot and log in again. See the attached NEO-GPU.md for acceleration checks and software fallback.

Aurora 2026.10.10.5 — Neo display DMA and native graphics

Neo display DMA and native graphics fixes for existing Arch/Omarchy installations.

• Preserve inherited display translations and keep new DMA allocations in separate address ranges.
• Reserve the page tables for the display controller and its required PIODMA stream through the matched Neo bootloader.
• Fix bounded G17P compiler operations and loaded OpenGL multisample resolves.
• Preserve existing M1/M2/M3 profiles and Neo experimental OpenGL/Honeykrisp capabilities.

Install the matched kernel, ESP bootloader and Mesa, then reboot:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash -s -- --neo-gpu

The Neo profile remains experimental. ARM64 package, production-function and installer checks passed; no new physical Neo boot or suspend qualification. The intermittent Neo Wi-Fi association timeout remains under investigation.

Aurora 2026.10.10.4

This update adds Thunderbolt display and shared-clock handling for base M2 Macs, tiled 5K display routing, and the explicit 15-inch M3 Air native OpenGL profile. It also improves Neo sleep and render-buffer lifetime handling.

• Display routing drains provider callbacks before freed bindings can be reused. Failed hardware disconnects keep their route reserved until checked release succeeds.
• J615 (15-inch M3 Air) can explicitly select the matched 26.6.2/25G83 native OpenGL profile. It requires that Mac’s own firmware and the existing J615-capable stage1. This remains experimental and OpenGL-only; the installer does not migrate firmware or flash stage1.
• Neo updates retain USB fixed-hub and SEP power state over sleep, enable HID wake events, reuse retained auxiliary render mappings, and preserve country-package Wi-Fi channel exclusions.
• J493 (13-inch M2 MacBook Pro) gains its own fingerprint sensor wiring and calibration filename. Calibration is extracted from the same Mac; TouchID hardware qualification remains pending.
• Standard m1n1 preserves the SEP alias across device-tree growth and propagates failed manifest insertions.
• Optional --archive-esp-history preserves old unreferenced boot files outside the ESP before an update. It keeps current/recovery references and recent history. Default installation never archives or deletes these files.

The larger Neo firmware-root importer remains deferred. Neo Wi-Fi association, M3 Air external-display bring-up, and device-specific hardware qualification remain open. This release adds no Vulkan support for the 26.6.2 native profile and no Hyprland or Aquamarine package overrides.

Validation: 784 installer-source tests passed (2 skipped), followed by 55 checks of the assembled installer and actual release packages with no skips. Focused display/provider, clock, bootloader, Neo, sensor-wiring and DART controls passed. Fresh ARM64 kernel, headers, Mesa and m1n1 packages built successfully; package hashes, metadata, UAPI and matched profile selection passed independent checks. The native Mesa compiler definitions, partial-MRT clear, queue and dynamic-TLS controls passed. Of 115 packaged device trees, 113 are byte-identical to the preceding release; only J493 and Neo J700 differ. No physical Mac boot, display, Wi-Fi, or sleep test was performed for this increment.

Install the matched update:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash

On an already prepared J615 with its own exact 26.6.2 firmware and v1.6.1-m3air25.stage1:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash -s -- --m3-profile=j615-25g83

For an existing Neo installation, explicitly install/select its matched GPU stack:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash -s -- --neo-gpu

For an existing admitted J613 native25 installation, use --m3-profile=j613-25g83 instead. After reboot, uname -r should report 7.1.12-2-20261010.4-sep-ARCH; run aurora-m3-gpu-check --details after login.

Aurora 2026.10.10.3

This update improves Wi-Fi firmware selection and DMA addressing, acknowledges firmware OSLog progress, and keeps USB-C display routing intact when firmware has not confirmed disconnect.

• BCM4388 revision 6 selects C2 firmware; existing B0/C0 revision mappings remain intact. C2 firmware must already be supplied for that device; this release does not include firmware blobs.
• BCM4388 C0/C2 devices with a forced high IOMMU aperture can use 42-bit DMA addresses. Already-sufficient streaming and coherent masks remain unchanged.
• RTKit acknowledges valid OSLog progress in negotiated and explicitly adopted sessions, including counter wraparound.
• USB-C DisplayPort release failures are returned before the port role or route changes, allowing a later retry.
• Frozen-image installation tolerates all-zero repository metadata records and checks root-private transaction files with the required privileges. Nonzero malformed metadata still refuses installation and reports its database entry.

The existing Mesa and m1n1 packages, GPU profiles, device trees, and per-device calibration remain unchanged. Native 25G83 OpenGL remains limited to the admitted J613 profile; this update adds no Vulkan25 or J615 native25 installer support.

Validation: 970 focused controls and 743 installer tests passed, with two installer tests skipped. The fresh ARM64 kernel/header build completed successfully. Package checks verified the kernel/header pairing, all 115 device trees, full UAPI and configuration; all 19 release asset hashes matched. No physical Mac boot, display, Wi-Fi, or sleep test was performed for this increment. Participants can check Wi-Fi reconnect and USB-C display hotplug/suspend on their own machines.

Install the matched update:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash

Existing J613 installations already using the exact 26.6.2 native profile should use:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash -s -- --m3-profile=j613-25g83

After reboot, uname -r should report 7.1.12-2-20261010.3-sep-ARCH.

Aurora 2026.10.10.2

Fix Wi-Fi network discovery with the BCM4388 firmware used by fresh 26.6.2 M3 Air installations, and harden scan and connection handling.

• Accept bounded version 116 scan records; give long foreground scans a channel-count deadline while preserving P2P timing.
• Initialize firmware roaming settings. Accept valid long connection records and reject truncated replies without publishing partial records.
• Update held Omarchy Mac images without loosening their package holds; install missing required dependencies in the checked transaction.
• Persist the GPU checker and its ownership record before publishing them, and recover an empty owned pair on an already selected persistent profile.
• Correct calendar release ordering and Neo session helper selection. Native Neo DCP takeover remains disabled.
• Include the separate J615 kernel profile, disabled by default behind its explicit experimental switch. This release does not enable the J615 native installer route.

M3 Mesa and m1n1 packages are unchanged. The J613 native25 profile remains experimental OpenGL-only, with Vulkan unavailable. It requires this Mac's own exact 26.6.2 firmware and matching stage 1; the installer does not migrate firmware or flash stage 1. No Hyprland/Aquamarine changes or Mesa source archive are shipped.

Fresh ARM64 kernel/headers built successfully; 130 focused Wi-Fi controls and 738 installer tests passed (two skipped). Wi-Fi hardware testing and M1/M2 boot testing remain open for participants.

Update an existing installation:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash

For a J613 already prepared and booting the native25 profile:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash -s -- --m3-profile=j613-25g83

Reboot, log in, and check uname -r reports 7.1.12-2-20261010.2-sep-ARCH. Check Wi-Fi discovery, connection/reconnection, and suspend/wake. On native25, aurora-m3-gpu-check should report PASS Apple GPU OpenGL (red/blue readback) and Vulkan unavailable. Please report results in #35, including the running kernel, Wi-Fi firmware version and relevant logs with personal identifiers removed.

Aurora 2026.10.10.1

Restore the 13-inch M3 Air’s native GPU/display startup on the exact 26.6.2/25G83 profile. Correct the GPU memory regions and ASC register extent, leave MTP startup to Linux through U-Boot, and let the native Mesa session use the apple display-node allocator with Asahi rendering.

• Neo display/audio components register only on T8140 and use a separate audio driver name, preventing interference with the existing Apple display driver on M1/M2/M3.
• Honor the deliberately held Omarchy Mac image packages. Unrelated pending dependency upgrades still require a full system update.
• Native25 remains experimental OpenGL only; Vulkan is unavailable. Requires the Mac’s own exact 26.6.2 firmware and matching stage 1. The installer does not migrate firmware or flash stage 1. J615 native25 is not included.
• Legacy14/Pro Mesa shader sources, the existing GPU UAPI and M1/M2 device trees are unchanged. No Hyprland or Aquamarine changes are shipped.
• Fresh ARM64 kernel/headers and Mesa packages are paired. M1/M2 Macs were unavailable for boot tests. Internal input recovery, suspend, night light and extended use still require hardware verification on this release.

Update:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash

J613 already prepared for native25:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/iconidentify/aurora-linux/releases/latest/download/install-aurora-sep.sh | bash -s -- --m3-profile=j613-25g83

Reboot, log in and run aurora-m3-gpu-check. The native25 result must report PASS Apple GPU OpenGL (red/blue readback) and Vulkan unavailable to confirm that session’s acceleration.

Includes Satya’s #118/#119 changes; see #124 and #35.