8.2.5 with v304.137 Nvidia Legacy driver

Based on Libreelec 8.2.5 with v304.137 Nvidia legacy driver

• Improves compatibility with older geforce cards (7000, 8000, 9000 and 100 series).

See:
https://libreelec.tv/2018/04/libreelec-krypton-8-2-5-mr/
For full changelog

8.2.3 with v304.137 Nvidia Legacy driver

Based on Libreelec 8.2.3 with v304.137 Nvidia legacy driver

• Improves compatibility with older geforce cards (7000, 8000, 9000 and 100 series).

See:
https://libreelec.tv/2018/01/libreelec-krypton-8-2-3-mr/
For full changelog

8.2.1 with v304.137 Nvidia Legacy driver

Based on Libreelec 8.2.1 with v304.137 Nvidia legacy driver

• Improves compatibility with older geforce cards (7000, 8000, 9000 and 100 series).

See:
https://libreelec.tv/2017/11/libreelec-krypton-v8-2-1-mr/
For full changelog

8.2.0 with v304.137 Nvidia Legacy driver

Based on Libreelec 8.2.0 with v304.137 Nvidia legacy driver

• Improves compatibility with older geforce cards (7000, 8000, 9000 and 100 series).

Libreelec Changelog:

• Fix boot-time overwrite of samba.conf.sample to ensure v4 template exists
• Fix Samba startup failures by detecting/disabling old (v3) samba.conf files
• Fix NAND install on WeTek Hub/Play 2 after Android Marshmallow updates
• Fix VMware OVF template, drop OVA .img suffix and force ‘installer’ mode
• Fix an issue in the embedded getedid script
• Fix Kodi to support 352KHz and 384KHz audio over S/PDIF
• Fix clearing of core files from /storage/.cache during Kodi startup
• Fix vulnerability (CVE-2017-1000250 aka Blueborne pt.1) in BlueZ
• Fix vulnerability (CVE-2017-1000251 aka Blueborne pt.2) in all kernels except Amlogic 3.10
• Fix a Python /dev/random issue that caused some Python crypto functions to error
• Fix to prevent boot-loops when a failed update leaves valid files in /storage/.update
• Update Amlogic 3.14 kernel to use kernel wireless-regdb on all reference devices
• Update RPi firmware to solve minor CEC button press issues
• Update RPi wifi firmware to resolve CVE-2017-9417 (Broadpwn)
• Update wpa_supplicant to resolve multiple CVE’s (KRACK)
• Update linux-firmware and misc-firmware packages
• Update nvidia-legacy driver to 340.104
• Update nvidia main driver to 384.90
• Update RTL8192EU driver
• Update RTL8188EU driver
• Update RPi kernel to 4.9.59
• Update Generic kernel to 4.11.8
• Update from LibreSSL to OpenSSL
• Update Samba to 4.6.8
• Update to lirc 0.9.4d
• Update Kodi to 17.5 (the 17.5.1 release is for Android only)
• Update kernel to enable SMB2 support (default) and where possible SMB3
• Update LibreELEC settings add-on to expose more Samba config options
• Revert Hauppauge DualHD tuner support (back to single-tuner, which works)
• Add Slice and Slice3 projects
• Add (merge) Virtual project into Generic
• Add buildsystem changes to make backports from master easier
• Add support for the Xiaomi Mi Box Bluetooth remote
• Add support for Xbox ONE (DVB-C/T/T2) USB tuner
• Add alsa configuration for the IQAudIO Digi+ on Raspberry Pi devices
• Add dummy Tvheadend 4.0 add-on to ensure 4.0 is disabled on upgrade

!!! SAMBA / SMB CHANGES !!!

Samba = server software embedded into LibreELEC images

SMB = client protocol used for connecting to Windows Server and Samba shares

LibreELEC 8.2.0 includes changes that allow the Kodi SMB client and our embedded Samba server to support SMB2/3 connections; deprecating SMB1 to improve security and performance. This is necessary to cope with changes Microsoft introduced in the Windows 10 ‘Fall Creators Update’ to resolve SMB1 security issues. Please see Microsoft notes here and here and here for an explanation.

LibreELEC changes are summarised below:

• The Kodi SMB client now defaults to SMB3 connections but can fail to negotiate SMB3 with old Samba (NAS) versions. A new option in Kodi Settings > Services > SMB client > allows SMB2 or SMB1 to be forced for compatibility with legacy SMB servers.
• The embedded Samba server defaults to and supports only SMB2/SMB3 connections. The LibreELEC Settings add-on allows the minimum protocol version to be changed, e.g. to enable SMB1 for compatibility with legacy SMB clients. It also supports GUI configuration of WORKGROUP name.
• Samba detects v3 /storage/.config/samba.conf configurations and ignores them to avoid the Samba service failing on startup. If this happens Samba starts with a default v4 configuration. Custom Samba configurations must be updated to use the new Samba 4.x base template (samba.conf.sample).
• Kodi “Windows network browsing” needs the Kodi SMB client to support SMB1 and we now default to SMB2/3 connections so browsing no longer works. Windows SMB share sources must be added using the full server/share path. SMB sources from Samba/NAS devices can normally be browsed via the “ZeroConf network browsing” alternative.
• Connection failures to anonymous and guest shares on a Windows server are normally solved by creating a local machine user account and password credential on the server for Kodi to use, then setting read or read-write permissions for that credential to the shares Kodi will access.
• Connection failures from a Windows client to the embedded Samba server are probably the result of Win10 changes that remove support for guest/anonymous access. Enabling password authentication in the LibreELEC settings add-on and setting username/password credentials should restore access.
• Local filesystem mounts of a remote SMB filesystem via systemd or autostart.sh now default to SMB2 so connections to SMB1 shares fail unless vers=1.0 is added into the mount command to force SMB1.
  SAMBA / SMB CONFIGURATION FILES

Kodi forum posts commonly refer to Samba configuration files in ~/.smb/smb.conf which is common in other Linux distros but is not correct for LibreELEC and Kodi 17.4 or newer. The embedded Samba server obtains the runtime config from /etc/samba/smb.conf unless /storage/.config/samba.conf custom config is present. The Kodi SMB client configuration is stored in /storage/.kodi/.smb/smb.conf which can be extended with changes in /storage/.kodi/.smb/user.conf if required. nb: Changes to smb.conf in the same location will be overwritten by GUI client changes. If you experience issues with SMB shares (client or server) please post in the forums sharing details of the Windows and Samba versions and a Kodi debug log.

!! LIRC CHANGES !!

In LibreELEC 8.0 the Lirc service is enabled when an IR receiver is detected in the system, but it is not started unless used with the lirc_rpi or lirc_xbox drivers or a personal lircd.conf. In LibreELEC 8.2 the Lirc service is enabled and supports all drivers which can result in the service starting and interfering with normal IR operations. If you experience “double button presses” after updating the Lirc service can be disabled in the ‘Services’ tab of the LibreELEC settings add-on. The Lirc service is disabled in new installations and must be manually enabled. Thanks to @HiasoffT changes the Lirc service is now configurable using a combination of /storage/.config/lirc_options.conf and lircd.conf – the same approach used in desktop Linux distributions and most howto instructions users find via Google searches.

!! TVHEADEND CHANGES !!

LibreELEC 8.2 does not provide Tvheadend (Server) 4.0 so the add-on repo has been populated with a dummy 4.0 add-on that Kodi will download then mark as broken. It has been discontinued because it is no longer maintained upstream. Tvheadend 4.2 has been available for some time and has proven to be more stable with better features and hardware support. Unfortunately Tvheadend does not provide an automatic upgrade or configuration export/import process so 4.0 users must perform a new installation of Tvheadend 4.2. This is inconvenient, but there is no other option.

NB: Existing Tvheadend 4.2 add-on users will see “fail to start” messages after updating to the LibreELEC 8.2.0 release. Once Kodi has started it checks our add-on repo and a new (compatible) version is downloaded and installed. Once the add-on has updated Tvheadend 4.2 will start normally.

INTEL HBR AUDIO

Initial patches to resolve the lack of pass-through HBR audio on NUC devices and similar with an internal DP > HDMI convertor were published recently. Testing has shown good results on Linux 4.13+ kernels but issues are seen with older Intel/NUC hardware using the 4.11 kernel used in LibreELEC 8.2. As a result these patches are not suitable for the 8.2.0 release and this minor issue will be resolved with LibreELEC 9.0 in the future.

AUTO-UPDATE

Following a number of significant security issues we need to ensure more users run the latest release to benefit from security bug fixes. LibreELEC 8.2.0 changes the default OS update option from manual to auto-update to ensure maintenance updates, e.g. 8.2.0 to 8.2.1 roll-out faster. Major version updates will remain user-initiated and there are no changes to the 24-hour canary period between a release and update files being distributed via auto-update.

8.1.0 Beta with v304.135 Nvidia Legacy driver

Based on Libreelec 8.1.0 beta with v304.135 Nvidia legacy driver

• Improves compatibility with older geforce cards (7000, 8000, 9000 and 100 series).

Libreelec Changelog:

This is a BETA of our 8.2 release; a mid-year bump to enhance hardware support and capabilities. It adds 10-bit HEVC support for recent Intel GPU generations, Samba 4.6 which brings support for SMB2/SMB3, and several SSL issues are resolved in a switch to OpenSSL. We continue to refine firmware we embed; removing old and unused files to reduce image size while adding new drivers and firmwares based on team findings and user reports. Kodi is updated to 17.4-RC1 with minor bugfixes since v17.3.

Changes since LibreELEC 8.0.2 include:

• Fix NAND install on WeTek Hub/Play 2 after Android Marshmallow updates
• Update RPi kernel to 4.9.41
• Update Generic kernel to 4.11.8
• Update from LibreSSL to OpenSSL
• Update to Samba 4.6.6
• Update nVidia main driver to 384.59
• Update to lirc 0.9.4d
• Update linux-firmware and misc-firmware packages
• Add Virtual project into Generic
• Add buildsystem changes to make backports from master easier
• Remove Tvheadend 4.0 server add-on (as superseded by Tvh 4.2)
  See detailed changes on GitHub

!!! SAMBA UPDATE – IMPORTANT !!!

The latest “Creators Update” for Windows 10 removes SMB1 client/server support and many NAS devices now ship with configuration that only supports SMB2/3, which causes problems because all versions of Kodi before 17.4 can only make SMB1 connections. This release includes changes that allow the Kodi SMB client and our embedded Samba server to work with SMB2/3 connections; improving SMB security and performance on most hardware. However, it is a disruptive change:

The Kodi SMB client sometimes fails to negotiate SMB3 with old Samba versions. There is a new option in Kodi Settings > Services > SMB client > that allows SMB2 or SMB1 connections to be forced for compatibility with legacy SMB servers.
Samba 3.x /storage/.config/samba.conf configurations must be updated to use the new Samba 4.x template (samba.conf.sample) as some Samba 3.x configuration is incompatible. The embedded Samba server may fail to start until this is done.
Browsing SMB shares via “Windows network browsing” in Kodi requires the browser service on the SMB server. This SMB1 service is removed from Win10 in the creators update and there is no equivalent for SMB2/3 versions of the SMB protocol. When Kodi makes SMB2+ connections (which is now our default) Kodi network browsing to add sources will not work. Windows SMB shares can still be added using the full server/share path. It is still possible to browse non-Windows Samba/NAS devices that advertise SMB shares via ZeroConf (aka Bonjour/Avahi).
Connection failures to anonymous and guest shares are solved by creating a new local machine (not Microsoft ID) user and strong password for Kodi to use on the server, then assigning appropriate read or read-write permissions to the shares Kodi will access.
If you experience issues with SMB share access please post in the forums sharing information on the Windows and Samba versions, and a Kodi debug log, and we will do our best to help.

AUTO-UPDATE

After recent security issues with Kodi and Samba we need to ensure more users are running the latest release to benefit from feature and security bug fixes. To achieve this we have changed the default setting for auto-update from manual to auto. Auto-update provides maintenance updates, e.g. 8.1.0 BETA to 8.2.0 and from 8.2.0 to 8.2.1 etc. in the 8.2 release series. Major version updates are still manual (user-initiated) updates, e.g. 8.2.0 to a future 9.0.0 release. Users can revert to manual update in the LibreELEC settings add-on.

Adds old Nvidia Legacy driver 304.135

Improves compatibility with older geforce cards (7000, 8000, 9000 and 100 series).

Based on 8.0.2 MR public release

LibreELEC (Krypton) v8.0.2 MR brings an update to Kodi v17.3, improved support for Intel WIFI and Bluetooth devices, performance enhancements to HEVC support on Raspberry Pi, and minor nip/tuck fixes for user-reported issues since v8.0.1. Kodi v17.3 addresses a notable subtitle (zip file) handling vulnerability that has been widely reported in the media.

Changes since 8.0.1 include:

• Fix for zero byte AddonsXX.db files
• Fix for connman failing to enable ip_forwarding when using the hotspot feature
• Fix for minimum Audio Engine sample rate in Kodi (allows forced 48KHz)
• Fix for suspend issues with CX231xx DVB devices
• Fix for unreliable 1000-BaseT Ethernet on iMX6 (we default to 100-BaseT)
• Fix for 720p > 1080p resolution switching on Amlogic aarch64 devices
• Fix for audio pops on media playback start/stop on Amlogic devices
• Update timezone data files to 2017b
• Update to Kodi 17.3
• Update to Linux 4.9.29 on Generic and RPi/RPi2 builds
• Update to Linux 3.14 kernel used on Amlogic aarch64 projects
• Update to RPi backports and firmwares
• Update to WeTek DVB firmware on WP2
• Add support for multiple Intel WIFI and Bluetooth firmwares
• Add support for GPIO_SYSFS on RPi/RPi2
• Add support for CEC wakeup with LG Simplink devices on Odroid C2
• Add support for 050D:010d device to RTL8812AU driver
• Add lirc support for /dev/rc devices (see note below)
  See detailed changes on GitHub LibreELEC/LibreELEC.tv@8.0.1...8.0.2

KODI 17.3

Kodi (Krypton) 17.3 contains several fixes to improve stability and usability. It also contains a notable security fix for an issue with subtitle zip files. Kodi 17.2 had a short lifespan after issues were found in the release. More information can be read in the official Kodi 17.3 release notes.

LIRC

Lirc now supports a number of IR receivers that historically used in-kernel decoding. If you experience double button presses after updating lirc support can be disabled from the services tab in the settings add-on.

ADDONS27.DB

There is strong evidence Kodi upgrade issues with zero byte Addons27.db files are caused by specific piracy add-ons. LibreELEC v8.0.2 contains changes to automatically remove zero byte DB files, but if this happens Kodi starts with all add-ons disabled and you must manually re-enable them. Please remember this is a self-inflicted inconvenience and we refuse support to users with piracy add-ons/repo’s installed.

SAMBA

Samba announced CVE-2017-7494 as we were about to release 8.0.2 and due to the serious vulnerability rating we postponed release to investigate. LibreELEC uses Samba 3.6.25 which is in the range of affected versions, but after Samba source code review (thanks @seo) we believe we are not vulnerable as we compile Samba without printer support, and this disables the vulnerable code path. We also attempted and failed to exploit our Samba version with the available metasploit module. Our confidence level on this is 99%. If you care about the missing 1% please disable the Samba service and keep reading.

ROADMAP

The team have plans to create a mid-year LibreELEC 8.2 release to bridge the long time gap between 8.0.2 and 9.0 which (along with Kodi v18) is expected around year-end. The main items in the release will be improved support for newer Intel GPU hardware, a bump to Samba 4.6 to bring support for SMB2/SMB3 in our Samba server and Kodi client connections (and resolve security issues) and a switch to OpenSSL to resolve issues seen with LibreSSL and certificates expiring after 2038. Timeline is 8-10 weeks away ~ some time after Linux 4.12 ships.

Adds old Nvidia Legacy driver 304.135

Improves compatibility with older geforce cards (8000 series etc).

Based on 8.0.1 MR public release faa3887

Adds old Nvidia Legacy driver 304.135

Improves compatibility with older geforce cards (8000 series etc).

Note: based on develop branch e2dfe2b