I want to use the Raspberry Pi2 Model B in combination with a Meridian ID40 card .
For storage use USB discs connected to the Raspberry.
1)Option Windows 10
I guess i have to run windows 10 on the Raspberry and works as a server.
For setup and other issues i can connect a screen or activate remote control on my Mac or windows PC in the network.
2)Option LINUX
Is a LINUX version already existent or planned ?
Are there beta versions available ?
This post sets out the minimum recommended hardware to run Roon. Unfortunately the Raspberry Pi 2B is under spec.
The good news however is that Raspberry Pi will run RoonSpeakers (when released) enabling it to operate as an inexpensive network endpoint. This post contains information about support for Raspberry Pi as an endpoint. There are some pretty interesting photos towards the end of that thread.
A Linux version of Roon has not yet been released. It is hoped that RoonSpeakers may be released during November.
I have that device sitting on my desk–I know the platform well. It would not provide a good experience running RoonServer.
Stick with x64/linux, mac, or windows/x64 for the server for now. (Linux/x64 is coming out soon).
This isn’t really about ARM as a CPU–it’s about the mindset that goes into designing the majority of headless ARM devices today–there’s a huge focus on cutting costs at the expense of performance. I’m sure an ARM PC priced like a NUC would perform at least as well, but people go to ARM to get a platform for $35-100, and that involves to a lot of compromises.
We had a learning experience in the early Sooloos days–the first round of hardware shipped with a truly awful CPU, to meet cost and wattage constraints. A year or two later, the supporting the minimal configuration started putting major constraints on our ability to evolve the product. The last thing we want to do is start encouraging people to use inadequate or barely adequate hardware. It will lead to pain down the road–I shouldn’t have to tell anyone by now that Roon is actively evolving continually.
I/O performance is usually the killer. Graphics is irrelevant for headless applications. The most common solutions: NAND/eMMC/SD style boot solutions do not compare to SATA 3.0/ePCI SSDs. Often the interfaces aren’t even present to attach fast media, and when they are there, they usually don’t perform like their intel counterparts.
@Brian actually those mini-computer running cool without any heatsink fan spinning part, taking single DC power under 3A so we can powering up with Audiophile Linear Power Supply, that’s Pro’s of them.
Now I’m running ROON server on Atom Z3735f Mini PC with eMMC running Win 10 and Old idling Core2Duo Notebook running Win 8.1 on SSD with lid, both running perfectly well with current build, hope the ROON won’t too demanding on future build then we can reuse old PC and running on cooler and quieter PC too.
@Brian actually those mini-computer running cool without any heatsink fan spinning part, taking single DC power under 3A so we can powering up with Audiophile Linear Power Supply, that’s Pro’s of them.
That’s important for endpoints, not for media servers. You’ll be able to use RoonSpeakers on devices like this and reap those SQ benefits.
Those are both Freescale iMX6 devices–that series is about hitting a cost sweet-spot and not about making good performance decisions. I have a couple of iMX6 boards (not these exact ones) kicking around. It’s also a familiar platform to us.
They have bus speed limitations. No SATA 3.0. Boot media is solid state, but not the fast kind (SD card typical, sometimes NAND or eMMC, none of which approach the numbers we see out of typical SSDs on x64 machines).
They’re overkill for RoonSpeakers (a $35 RPi2 is more than sufficient for that), but not nearly on par with the Intel-based hardware we recommend for servers.