Is it possible that this works with the Friendlyelec CM3588 NAS Kit?

[PatrickHuetter]

I’m currently trying to get NixOS running with HDMI output and ZFS support on the Friendlyelec CM3588 NAS Kit. Here’s the current status and my questions:

Current Progress:
It’s already working without HDMI support using the Mainline Kernel. The setup runs smoothly with ZFS, but the lack of HDMI output is a limitation I’d like to overcome.

Uncertainty:
I’m not sure if it might be better to switch to the older, Rockchip-supported kernel (e.g., version 5.1) instead of sticking with the Mainline Kernel. The older kernel seems to have better hardware support (like HDMI) based on my experience with the official Friendlyelec Ubuntu image.

Details:
I’ve outlined my full setup, goals, and specific questions in this NixOS Discourse post:
Friendlyelec CM3588 NAS Kit - NixOS, HDMI, UART, and ZFS Encryption Questions

Request
I’d appreciate any insights, experiences, or guidance on:

Enabling HDMI output with a Mainline Kernel (e.g., 6.13) and ZFS on NixOS.
Switching to the Rockchip-supported kernel under NixOS.
Any other suggestions to achieve my goals (remote control via HDMI/UART, ZFS encryption, etc.).
Thanks in advance for your help!

[dvdjv]

Hi Patrick,

Thank you for your interest in my work. Unfortunately I don't own a CM3588, so my input is purely hypothetical. However, given you were able to get it up and running with EDK2, this is a promising sign.

Last time I checked the mainline Linux support of RK3588, it was incomplete. So I suggest you stuck with older kernels unless you need features from newer versions. Currently your options are:

1. Linux 6.1 as published by Orange Pi. This is the kernel used in my flake. AFAIK is is also widely used by Armbian, so chances are it will work.
2. Linux 5.10 as published by Rockchip. This is the BSP kernel, so HDMI should be supported.

You might also be interested in @ryan4yin's flake: https://github.com/ryan4yin/nixos-rk3588
It supports EDK2 and is more suitable as a general purpose implementation of NixOS on RK3588 (while my project is more focused on use cases that are relevant for me).