What Roxora keeps from Armbian Each file of Armbian's board support package, kept or removed

Source

Roxora uses Armbian for the hardware layer only. This page lists everything Armbian's build puts into a minimal Ubuntu 24.04 image for the supported boards, says which layer it belongs to, and what Roxora does with it.

Hardware layer: needed to boot the board and drive its hardware, or part of the boot method. Kept.
Distro layer: changes how the system looks or behaves compared with stock Ubuntu. Removed, or replaced with what Ubuntu ships.

The lists the build actually uses are in userpatches/roxora/: bsp-remove.list, rootfs-remove.list and keep-modified.list. verify/verify-image.sh checks every image against the same lists.

Source: armbian/build at the commit in armbian.ref (3b7191306d36, 2026-11-10), and images of both boards built from it without Roxora's changes.

Board support package

The package is armbian-bsp-cli-<board>-<branch> (for example armbian-bsp-cli-radxa-rock-4d-edge), plus a transitional armbian-bsp-cli-<board> that only depends on it. For both supported boards its files are packages/bsp/common from armbian/build plus a few generated files; the two packages are identical apart from their names. Roxora builds the package with the distro-layer files removed, so they are never installed, and with maintainer scripts that keep only the boot-related steps. The package keeps Armbian's name and is never upgraded from Armbian's repository (see Architecture).

Kept

Path	What it does	Layer	Reason
`/etc/armbian-release`	Board, family, kernel image type, overlay directory	hardware	Read by the initramfs hook and the overlay tool
`/usr/share/armbian/boot.cmd`, `/usr/share/armbian/armbianEnv.txt`	Copies of the boot script and boot environment	hardware	Boot method; the postinst restores `/boot/boot.cmd` and `boot.scr` from them if they are missing
`/etc/initramfs/post-update.d/99-uboot`	Wraps each initramfs as `/boot/uInitrd-<version>` with `mkimage` and points `/boot/uInitrd` at it	hardware	The boot script loads `uInitrd`
`/etc/kernel/postinst.d/xx-initramfs-cleanup`, `/etc/kernel/postrm.d/xx-initramfs-cleanup`	Removes initramfs files of kernels that are no longer installed	hardware	Keeps `/boot` consistent across kernel updates
`/etc/modprobe.d/8189fs.conf`, `/etc/modprobe.d/r8723bs.conf`	Turns off power management in two Realtek Wi-Fi drivers	hardware	Wi-Fi bring-up for USB and SDIO adapters
`/etc/udev/rules.d/10-wifi-disable-powermanagement.rules`	Turns Wi-Fi power save off when an interface appears	hardware	Wi-Fi bring-up; SDIO Wi-Fi on these boards drops with power save on
`/etc/udev/rules.d/50-usb-realtek-net.rules`	Selects the Ethernet configuration of Realtek USB network adapters	hardware	USB network adapter bring-up
`/etc/udev/rules.d/90-chromium-video.rules`	Names V4L2 decoder devices `/dev/video-dec*`	hardware	Stable names for the hardware video decoders
`/lib/udev/rules.d/71-axp-power-button.rules`	Lets systemd handle AXP PMIC power buttons	hardware	Power button; harmless on boards without an AXP PMIC
`/lib/systemd/system/armbian-led-state.service`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-led-state-save.sh`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-led-state-restore.sh`	Saves LED triggers at shutdown and restores them at boot	hardware	Board LEDs
`/usr/sbin/armbian-add-overlay`	Compiles and installs a user device tree overlay	hardware	Device tree overlays
`DEBIAN/triggers` (`activate update-initramfs`)	Rebuilds the initramfs when the package changes	hardware	Boot method

Removed

Path	What it does	Layer	Reason
`/etc/apt/apt.conf.d/02-armbian-compress-indexes`, `02-armbian-postupdate`, `71-armbian-no-recommends`, `81-armbian-no-languages`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-apt-updates`	Changes apt: gzip-compressed indexes, no recommended packages, no translations, an update counter after every apt run	distro	Changes how apt behaves compared with Ubuntu
`/etc/cron.daily/armbian-featured`	Downloads a "featured" feed for the login tips	distro	Message of the day
`/etc/cron.daily/armbian-ram-logging`, `/lib/systemd/system/armbian-ramlog.service`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-ramlog`, `/etc/systemd/system/logrotate.service`, `/lib/systemd/system/systemd-journald.service.d/override.conf`, `/etc/default/armbian-ramlog.dpkg-dist`	Keeps `/var/log` in RAM and writes it back periodically	distro	Ramlog default
`/lib/systemd/system/armbian-zram-config.service`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-zram-config`, `/etc/default/armbian-zram-config.dpkg-dist`	Swap and `/tmp` on zram	distro	Zram default
`/etc/cron.d/armbian-check-battery`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-check-battery-shutdown`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-allwinner-battery`	Low battery shutdown for Allwinner PMICs	distro	Not used on these boards; disabled by default anyway
`/etc/cron.d/armbian-truncate-logs`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-truncate-logs`	Truncates logs every 15 minutes	distro	Part of ramlog
`/etc/cron.d/armbian-updates`	Counts available updates for the login message	distro	Message of the day
`/etc/update-motd.d/00-clear` to `99-blank` (11 scripts), `/etc/default/armbian-motd.dpkg-dist`	Armbian's login message: header, system info, tips, IP, containers	distro	Ubuntu's own message of the day is used
`/etc/profile.d/armbian-check-first-login.sh`, `armbian-check-first-login-reboot.sh`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-firstlogin`	First-login wizard: root password, user, locale	distro	Replaced by a default account created when the image is built (`roxora`, password `roxora`, to be changed at the first login); root stays locked as on Ubuntu
`/lib/systemd/system/armbian-firstrun.service`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-firstrun`, `/etc/default/armbian-firstrun.dpkg-dist`	First boot tasks: new SSH host keys, random MAC addresses in `armbianEnv.txt`, tuning profile	distro	Replaced by cloud-init, which regenerates the SSH host keys. The boot environment of these boards sets no MAC address
`/lib/systemd/system/armbian-resize-filesystem.service`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-resize-filesystem`	Grows the root partition and filesystem at first boot	distro	Replaced by cloud-init's growpart and resizefs
`/lib/systemd/system/armbian-disable-autologin.service`, `armbian-disable-autologin.timer`	Removes the console autologin after first login	distro	Roxora never enables autologin
`/lib/systemd/system/armbian-hardware-monitor.service`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-hardware-monitor`	Logs hardware information at boot	distro	Diagnostics for Armbian's tools
`/lib/systemd/system/armbian-hardware-optimize.service`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-hardware-optimization`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-audio-config`	At every boot: I/O scheduler `none` on flash, CPU governor and limits from `/etc/default/cpufrequtils`, ondemand tuning, unmutes mixer controls, rewrites USB storage quirks into `armbianEnv.txt`, rewrites logrotate paths for ramlog	distro	Generic tuning with no RK3576 specific step; the kernel defaults are used
`/lib/systemd/system/armbian-luks-rekey.service`, `/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-luks-rekey`	Re-keys an encrypted root at first boot	distro	Not used by Roxora images
`/lib/systemd/system/getty@tty1.service.d/10-noclear.conf`, `/lib/systemd/system/serial-getty@.service.d/10-term.conf`, `/lib/systemd/system/systemd-modules-load.service.d/10-timeout.conf`	Changes stock systemd units: no screen clear on tty1, `TERM=linux` on serial consoles, a module loading timeout	distro	Stock Ubuntu units are used
`/etc/NetworkManager/conf.d/zz-10-override-wifi-random-mac-disable.conf`, `zz-20-override-wifi-powersave-disable.conf`	NetworkManager Wi-Fi defaults	distro	NetworkManager is not part of minimal images
`/etc/profile.d/armbian-lang.sh`, `/etc/skel/.bash_aliases`, `/etc/profile.d/armbian-activate-profile-sync-daemon.sh`, `/usr/lib/systemd/user/psd*.d/armbian-not-root.conf`	Shell defaults, aliases, profile-sync-daemon	distro	Changes the user environment
`/usr/lib/sysctl.d/55-bsp-default.conf`	Sysctl defaults copied from the distribution package	distro	Ubuntu's own defaults apply
`/usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/armbian-hibernation.conf`	Hibernation image size	distro	Tuning
`/var/lib/polkit-1/localauthority/50-local.d/*.pkla` (5 files)	Extra rights for `plugdev` and `netdev` users	distro	Changes permissions compared with Ubuntu
`/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/01-armbian-defaults.conf`	X server defaults	distro	No X server in minimal images
`/usr/bin/armbian-debug`, `/usr/bin/armbianmonitor`, `/usr/bin/armbian-upgrade`, `/usr/sbin/ddbr`	Debug upload, monitor, upgrade and backup tools	distro	Armbian's own tools
`/usr/bin/armbian-install`, `/usr/lib/nand-sata-install`, `/usr/lib/armbian-install/exclude.txt`	Install to eMMC or NVMe; now only a shim that runs `armbian-config`	distro	`armbian-config` is not installed, so the shim cannot work
`/usr/lib/armbian/armbian-common`	Shell library of the removed scripts	distro	Nothing kept uses it
`/usr/share/armbian/armbian-user-icon.png`, `/usr/share/pixmaps/armbian-logo*` (5 files), `/usr/share/initramfs-tools/conf-hooks.d/armbian-plymouth`	Branding	distro	Branding
`/etc/armbian-distribution-status`, `/etc/armbian.txt`	Release support table and build information for the login message and `armbian-config`	distro	Read only by removed tools. `armbian.txt` is written into the package after the extension runs, so it is deleted from the root filesystem instead

Maintainer scripts

Script step	Layer	Action	Reason
preinst: set `COMPRESS=gzip` in `/etc/initramfs-tools/initramfs.conf`	hardware	keep	Boot method: Armbian's images boot with gzip initramfs files wrapped as uInitrd; Ubuntu's zstd default is not validated on these boards
preinst: drop `vm.swappiness=100` from `/etc/sysctl.conf`, run `sysctl --system`	distro	remove	Only cleans up after older Armbian packages
preinst: replace Ubuntu Pro messages with "Support Armbian"	distro	remove	Branding
preinst: delete old Armbian motd, profile and init files, remove `02-armbian-periodic` and the stock unattended-upgrades trigger	distro	remove	Clean-up of older Armbian packages; changes Ubuntu's update settings
preinst: fix lightdm ownership	distro	remove	No display manager
postinst: enable ramlog, copy settings from log2ram	distro	remove	Ramlog
postinst: add `RESUME=none` to `initramfs.conf`	hardware	keep	Avoids a boot delay waiting for a resume device that does not exist
postinst: recreate `/boot/boot.cmd` and `boot.scr` when missing or forced	hardware	keep	Boot method
postinst: link `/etc/motd` to `/var/run/motd`, delete Ubuntu's `00-header` and `10-help-text`	distro	remove	Message of the day
postinst: move `.dpkg-dist` defaults into place	distro	remove	Files of removed services
postinst: create groups `audio video plugdev input dialout netdev bluetooth render users games i2c gpio spi docker`, set `EXTRA_GROUPS` in `/etc/adduser.conf`	mixed	keep `i2c gpio spi` only	The udev rules of the kernel use these three groups; adding every new user to many groups changes Ubuntu's defaults
postinst: enable `armbian-hardware-monitor`, `armbian-hardware-optimize`, `armbian-zram-config`, `armbian-led-state`	mixed	keep `armbian-led-state` only	Others are removed
postrm: disable the services above	mixed	keep `armbian-led-state` only
Package `Depends: fping`	distro	kept as a dependency	Installing the package requires it; nothing in Roxora runs it

Other Armbian packages in a minimal noble image

Package	What it is	Layer	Action	Reason
`linux-image-<branch>-<family>`, `linux-dtb-<branch>-<family>`	Kernel and device trees	hardware	keep, updated from Armbian
`linux-u-boot-<board>-<branch>`	U-Boot and its install script	hardware	keep, updated from Armbian
`armbian-firmware`	Firmware files	hardware	keep, updated from Armbian
`linux-headers-<branch>-<family>`	Kernel headers	hardware	installed only where a board needs DKMS (ROCK 4D Wi-Fi), updated from Armbian with the kernel	DKMS modules are rebuilt for each new kernel
`armbian-base-files`	Armbian's `base-files`, with Armbian's `/etc/os-release`	distro	not installed (`KEEP_ORIGINAL_OS_RELEASE=yes`); the apt pin keeps the `base-files` that Armbian's repository publishes from replacing Ubuntu's
`fake-ubuntu-advantage-tools`	Empty package that replaces Ubuntu Pro tooling	distro	removed after installation	Armbian installs it unconditionally on Ubuntu; no setting turns it off
`armbian-config`	Armbian's configuration tool, from its own repository `github.armbian.com/configng`	distro	not installed, repository not added	Armbian's build enables this extension for every image; Roxora replaces its two hooks
`armbian-zsh`, `armbian-plymouth-theme`	Shell setup, boot splash	distro	not installed	Only installed on non-minimal images or with `PLYMOUTH=yes`

Changes outside packages

Armbian's build also edits the root filesystem directly. Ubuntu package files it edits are restored from the packages (checked with dpkg --verify); files it creates are removed (rootfs-remove.list).

Change (where in armbian/build)	Layer	Action
journald `Storage=volatile`, compression and rate limits (`distro-specific.sh`)	distro	restored from systemd
Ubuntu motd scripts deleted, `motd-news` disabled (`distro-specific.sh`, BSP postinst)	distro	restored from base-files, and `motd-news.timer` enabled again
`fake-ubuntu-advantage-tools` installed, `20apt-esm-hook.conf` emptied (`distro-specific.sh`)	distro	package purged, empty file removed
unattended-upgrades auto-update config removed and debconf seeded to keep it off (`distro-specific.sh`)	distro	unattended-upgrades is installed and reconfigured with automatic updates on, as on Ubuntu's server images
`/etc/rc.local` installed (`distro-specific.sh`)	distro	removed
`/etc/systemd/sleep.conf.d/00-disable.conf`, all sleep states off (`distro-specific.sh`)	hardware	kept: suspend and resume are not validated on these boards with the edge kernel, and a board that does not wake up needs a power cycle
initramfs `COMPRESS=gzip` (`distro-specific.sh`, BSP preinst)	hardware	kept, as part of the boot method
`ondemand.service` disabled (`distro-specific.sh`)	none	the unit does not exist on noble
`/etc/issue`, `/etc/issue.net` set to "Armbian ..." (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	restored from base-files
`/etc/legal` deleted (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	restored from base-files
`kernel.printk` uncommented in `/etc/sysctl.conf` (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	restored from procps
rsyslog `xconsole` and `KLogPermitNonKernelFacility` lines commented out (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	restored from rsyslog
`/usr/bin/tzselect` text changed (`post-tweaks.sh`)	distro	restored from libc-bin
`PermitRootLogin yes` and `PubkeyAuthentication yes` in `/etc/ssh/sshd_config` (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	restored from openssh-server's template `/usr/share/openssh/sshd_config`
hosts line of `/etc/nsswitch.conf` rewritten (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	restored from libc-bin's template `/usr/share/libc-bin/nsswitch.conf`
execute bit removed from every `/etc/update-motd.d` script until the first-login wizard has run (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	execute bit restored; Ubuntu ships them executable
`tmpfs /tmp` added to `/etc/fstab` (`partitioning.sh`)	distro	line removed; Ubuntu keeps `/tmp` on the root filesystem
`start-stop-daemon` left different from dpkg's after removing the build-time diversion (`post-tweaks.sh`)	distro	restored from dpkg
root password `1234`, `/root/.not_logged_in_yet`, `/root/.bash_aliases`, root dotfiles from `/etc/skel` (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	root locked as on Ubuntu, wizard trigger and aliases removed, dotfiles from base-files
console autologin overrides for `getty@` and `serial-getty@` (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	not created (`CONSOLE_AUTOLOGIN=no`)
time zone copied from the build machine (`main-config.sh`)	distro	`Etc/UTC`
`/etc/default/cpufrequtils`, `/etc/default/armbian-tuning-profile` (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	removed; no tuning profile
`/etc/default/rng-tools` line added (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	removed (rng-tools is not installed)
`/etc/securetty` with the serial console (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	removed; Ubuntu's PAM setup does not read it
`/boot/boot.bmp` Armbian logo (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	distro	removed; the boot script does not show it
serial getty enabled on `ttyS0` at 1500000 baud (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	hardware	kept
hostname set to the board name (`distro-agnostic.sh`)	hardware	kept
`systemd-firstboot.service` masked	hardware	kept: it would prompt on the serial console at first boot; cloud-init does the first-boot setup
`/etc/apt/sources.list.d/armbian.sources` with `main noble-utils noble-desktop`	hardware	kept, pinned; the repository is set in `userpatches/roxora/hardware-repo.conf` (see architecture.md)
Audio device names for HDMI, DP and the ES8316 codec (`/etc/udev/rules.d/90-naming-audios.rules`, board config)	hardware	kept
netplan `10-dhcp-all-interfaces.yaml`, `00-armbian.network.readme`, `networkd.conf.d/mac-duid.conf`, wait-online `--any` and `apt-daily-upgrade` drop-ins (net-systemd-networkd extension)	distro	removed; cloud-init writes the network configuration from the image's seed (DHCP on wired Ethernet), as on Ubuntu's server images; on the desktop flavors NetworkManager runs the network instead (architecture.md, Desktop flavors)
`systemctl enable systemd-networkd.service` (net-systemd-networkd extension), which also enables `systemd-networkd-wait-online.service`	distro	kept on command line images, where cloud-init's configuration is rendered for systemd-networkd; disabled again on the desktop flavors, where it manages no link and wait-online would hold each boot for two minutes. Ubuntu's systemd package enables neither
`armbian-config.sources` (armbian-config extension)	distro	not created
ROCK 4D: AIC8800 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth driver built with DKMS, firmware from Radxa's releases (radxa-aic8800 extension)	hardware	kept
ROCK 4D: `update-alternatives` makes `gcc-14` the default `gcc` (radxa-aic8800 extension, for the DKMS build of the Wi-Fi driver)	hardware	kept; it changes the default compiler on the ROCK 4D image only
UEFI images: `/etc/default/grub.d/98-armbian.cfg` with Armbian's name in the GRUB menu and the EFI directory, its wallpaper, fonts, menu timeout and `splash` arguments (grub extension)	distro	replaced by Roxora's `/etc/default/grub.d/90-roxora.cfg`: console arguments and menu only, Ubuntu's `/etc/default/grub` for the rest
UEFI images: `/usr/share/images/grub/wallpaper.png`, `/boot/grub/fonts/armbian-hidpi.pf2`, `/usr/share/desktop-base/grub_background.sh` (grub extension)	distro	removed
UEFI images: `efivar`, `busybox` and `cloud-initramfs-growroot` installed (grub extension)	distro	not installed; cloud-init grows the root partition
UEFI images: files with `uboot` in their name removed from the BSP package, and the initramfs `99-uboot` hook (grub extension)	hardware	kept: there is no U-Boot to wrap the initramfs for
UEFI images: `grub-install --removable --no-nvram` and `update-grub` at build time, GPT with an EFI system partition (grub extension)	hardware	kept; the boot method of these images