OpenWrt switch ports, Nix flakes, and distro build changes

OpenWrt developers advanced Realtek switch support, a new routing package, and snapshot testing, while Nix and Fedora tackled build tooling issues. Ubuntu opened Community Council nominations for 2026.

OpenWrt Realtek RTL93xx switch support reaches PR

An active OpenWrt forum thread on porting managed switches based on RTL838x and RTL93xx silicon concluded with a submitted pull request adding support for the UniFi USW Pro XG 10 PoE. The work expands hardware coverage for users running OpenWrt on Realtek-based enterprise-class switches. Broader RTL93xx enablement matters for anyone deploying open firmware on multi-gigabit managed gear.

Nix gitlab flake inputs hit Cloudflare blocks

NixOS Discourse users reported that gitlab:-formatted flake inputs now receive Cloudflare 403 errors on the /repository/commits endpoint. A pull request switches the fetcher to a single-commit endpoint as the workaround. The change keeps GitLab-hosted flakes usable for Nix users after the upstream access restriction.

Shunt package brings resolver-agnostic policy routing

A new OpenWrt package called shunt provides domain-based policy routing that works regardless of which DNS backend is in use, relying on DNS snooping. Recent updates add tproxy support, file-based domain lists, and TTL handling. The package gives OpenWrt operators finer traffic steering without tying policy to a specific resolver.

Qualcommax NSS builds gain EEE for multi-gig ports

The long-running Qualcommax NSS build thread on the OpenWrt forum saw a new pull request that adds Energy Efficient Ethernet support for 2.5G and 10G ports. The change follows user reports of link and traffic failures on those interfaces. Improved EEE handling stabilizes high-speed links on Qualcomm-based OpenWrt devices that rely on NSS offload.

Ubuntu seeks 2026 Community Council nominations

Ubuntu Discourse posted a call for nominations to the 2026 Community Council, drawing fourteen self-nominees. A question about deadline wording was clarified as Anywhere on Earth (AoE). The council shapes community governance, so the nomination window directly affects who steers Ubuntu contributor processes next year.

Fedora proposes Thin LTO build flag change

A Fedora 46 Change Proposal on the devel list recommends replacing -ffat-lto-objects with -fno-fat-lto-objects. The switch aims to cut build memory use and wall-clock time. Packagers and maintainers gain leaner LTO builds if the self-contained proposal is accepted.

OpenWrt 25.12 snapshot testing for 25.12.6

OpenWrt called for testing of 25.12 snapshots ahead of the 25.12.6 service release. Users reported successful installs along with one dnsmasq regression. Early feedback helps stabilize the service release for the wider OpenWrt user base.

MediaTek Ethernet driver batching for higher PPS

An OpenWrt forum thread on MT6000 custom builds with kernel 6.18.x discussed optimizing the MediaTek Ethernet driver to batch SRAM descriptor reads. The change targets higher packets-per-second rates on Cortex-A53 platforms. Improved descriptor handling can raise forwarding performance on common MediaTek OpenWrt routers.