Orange Pi 3 LTS - Only 1 CPU Core working

[eggypesela]

Creating a bug report/issue

• I have searched the existing open and closed issues

Required Information

• DietPi version | cat /boot/dietpi/.version
  G_DIETPI_VERSION_CORE=10
  G_DIETPI_VERSION_SUB=1
  G_DIETPI_VERSION_RC=2
  G_GITBRANCH='master'
  G_GITOWNER='MichaIng'
• Distro version | echo $G_DISTRO_NAME $G_RASPBIAN
  trixie
• Kernel version | uname -a
  Linux DietPi 6.12.74-current-sunxi64 # 1 SMP Thu Feb 19 15:29:56 UTC 2026 aarch64 GNU/Linux
• SBC model | echo $G_HW_MODEL_NAME or (EG: RPi3)
  Orange Pi 3 LTS (aarch64)
• Power supply used | (EG: 5V 1A RAVpower)
  5V 3A
• SD card used | (EG: SanDisk ultra)
  VGen Class 10

Additional Information (if applicable)

• Software title | DietPi v10.1.2
• Was the software title installed freshly or updated/migrated? fresh install
• Can this issue be replicated on a fresh installation of DietPi?
• Bug report ID | echo $G_HW_UUID
  1ec44b01-fa67-4a36-a24e-3b6c9d650d98

Steps to reproduce

I just freshly install the OS on my Orange PI 3 LTS, it shows only 1 CPU working.

Expected behaviour

As Orange PI 3 LTS have 4 core CPU, all of 4 core CPU should be working

Actual behaviour

Only 1 CPU Working

Extra details

• I read some bug report in Armbian github (OrangePi 3 LTS: Update U-Boot to v2026.01 and Linux DTS "and other fixups" armbian/build#9323) but I don't know how to implement it to my devices without leaving dietpi.

[MichaIng]

The change at Armbian is already included in our U-Boot builds, as well as in the image uploaded yesterday.

From the timestamp I see that you used the previous image with the older U-Boot. Please try to flash the recent U-Boot:

/boot/dietpi/func/dietpi-set_hardware flash-u-boot-mmc

[eggypesela]

Thank you for replying.

I just tried your suggestions and the CPU core issue not yet solved:

root@orangepi-3-lts:~# /boot/dietpi/func/dietpi-set_hardware flash-u-boot-mmc

 DietPi-Set_hardware
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 Mode: flash-u-boot-mmc

1023+0 records in
1023+0 records out
1047552 bytes (1.0 MB, 1023 KiB) copied, 0.0768899 s, 13.6 MB/s
892+1 records in
892+1 records out
913713 bytes (914 kB, 892 KiB) copied, 0.0462617 s, 19.8 MB/s
[  OK  ] flash-u-boot-mmc (/dev/mmcblk0) | Completed
root@orangepi-3-lts:~# reboot

/data/data/com.termux/files/usr/bin/ssh: Connection to root@100.93.47.110:22 exited: Error reading: Software caused connection abort
~ $ ssh root@100.93.47.110
root@100.93.47.110's password:

The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software;
the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the
individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright.

Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent
permitted by applicable law.
 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 DietPi v10.1.2 : 22:49 - Mon 02/23/26
 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 - Device model : Orange Pi 3 LTS (aarch64)
 - CPU temp : 63 °C / 145 °F : Running hot, not recommended
 - LAN IP : 192.168.1.40 (eth0)
 - MOTD : Debian 13 Trixie has been released. Learn how to upgrade:
          https://dietpi.com/blog/?p=4014
 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 DietPi Team     : https://github.com/MichaIng/DietPi#the-dietpi-project-team
 Patreon Legends : Chris Gelatt, ADSB.im
 Website         : https://dietpi.com/ | https://x.com/DietPi_ | Bsky: @dietpi.com
 Contribute      : https://dietpi.com/contribute.html
 Web Hosting by  : https://login-online.com/

 dietpi-launcher : All the DietPi programs in one place
 dietpi-config   : Feature rich configuration tool for your device
 dietpi-software : Select optimised software for installation
 htop            : Resource monitor
 cpu             : Shows CPU information and stats

root@orangepi-3-lts:~# htop
A signal 2 (Interrupt) was received, exiting without persisting settings to htoprc.
root@orangepi-3-lts:~# nproc
1
root@orangepi-3-lts:~#

[MichaIng]

I see now at the Armbian PR you linked there was as well someone mentioning that the CPU issue is still present. A test build with crust removed solved it, but Cornelius was unsure whether this was really the solution, since he got contradicting results.

Crust is a power savings firmware, but possible that it causes issues with some particular boards if not configured correctly. Currently, the firmware matches the one used by PINE H64. Same SoC, but different board. Maybe even the Ethernet issues at the end here (Ethernet unusable after warm reboot, but present after power cycle with some recent fixes) is related: #7905

I'll try to remove the firmware.

[MichaIng]

Change: MichaIng/build@c33c72d
Build: https://github.com/MichaIng/DietPi/actions/runs/22314821568
Test with this:

G_DEV_TEST_FIRMWARE
/boot/dietpi/func/dietpi-set_hardware flash-u-boot-mmc

[eggypesela]

I just tried and it cannot connect to my ssh now (I use it remotely right now, I will update you tomorrow).

Maybe you are correct about the Ethernet.

This is the last recorded log:

root@orangepi-3-lts:~# G_DEV_TEST_FIRMWARE
/boot/dietpi/func/dietpi-set_hardware flash-u-boot-mmc
[  OK  ] cd /tmp
[  OK  ] Downloading packages: armbian-firmware.deb linux-dtb-current-sunxi64.deb linux-image-current-sunxi64.deb linux-u-boot-orangepi3-lts-current.deb
--2026-02-23 23:32:32--  https://dietpi.com/downloads/binaries/testing/armbian-firmware.deb
Resolving dietpi.com (dietpi.com)... 104.26.9.98, 104.26.8.98, 172.67.69.57, ...
Connecting to dietpi.com (dietpi.com)|104.26.9.98|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 404 Not Found
2026-02-23 23:32:34 ERROR 404: Not Found.

--2026-02-23 23:32:34--  https://dietpi.com/downloads/binaries/testing/linux-dtb-current-sunxi64.deb
Connecting to dietpi.com (dietpi.com)|104.26.9.98|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 137864 (135K) [application/vnd.debian.binary-package]
Saving to: ‘linux-dtb-current-sunxi64.deb’

linux-dtb-curren 100%[=========>] 134.63K   525KB/s    in 0.3s

2026-02-23 23:32:35 (525 KB/s) - ‘linux-dtb-current-sunxi64.deb’ saved [137864/137864]

--2026-02-23 23:32:35--  https://dietpi.com/downloads/binaries/testing/linux-image-current-sunxi64.deb
Reusing existing connection to dietpi.com:443.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 49781744 (47M) [application/vnd.debian.binary-package]
Saving to: ‘linux-image-current-sunxi64.deb’

linux-image-curr 100%[=========>]  47.47M  3.81MB/s    in 14s

2026-02-23 23:32:50 (3.28 MB/s) - ‘linux-image-current-sunxi64.deb’ saved [49781744/49781744]

--2026-02-23 23:32:50--  https://dietpi.com/downloads/binaries/testing/linux-u-boot-orangepi3-lts-current.deb
Reusing existing connection to dietpi.com:443.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 351196 (343K) [application/vnd.debian.binary-package]
Saving to: ‘linux-u-boot-orangepi3-lts-current.deb’

linux-u-boot-ora 100%[=========>] 342.96K   565KB/s    in 0.6s

2026-02-23 23:32:51 (565 KB/s) - ‘linux-u-boot-orangepi3-lts-current.deb’ saved [351196/351196]

FINISHED --2026-02-23 23:32:51--
Total wall clock time: 20s
Downloaded: 3 files, 48M in 15s (3.13 MB/s)
[ INFO ] dpkg -i linux-dtb-current-sunxi64.deb linux-image-current-sunxi64.deb linux-u-boot-orangepi3-lts-current.deb, please wait...
(Reading database ... 22455 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack linux-dtb-current-sunxi64.deb ...
Armbian 'linux-dtb-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'preinst' starting.
Armbian 'linux-dtb-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'preinst' finishing.
Unpacking linux-dtb-current-sunxi64 (26.02.0-trunk-dietpi7) over (26.02.0-trunk-dietpi7) ...
Preparing to unpack linux-image-current-sunxi64.deb ...
Armbian 'linux-image-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'prerm' starting.
Armbian 'linux-image-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'prerm' finishing.
Armbian 'linux-image-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'preinst' starting.
Armbian 'linux-image-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'preinst' finishing.
Unpacking linux-image-current-sunxi64 (26.02.0-trunk-dietpi7) over (26.02.0-trunk-dietpi7) ...
Armbian 'linux-image-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'postrm' starting.
Removing obsolete initramfs images
Armbian 'linux-image-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'postrm' finishing.
Preparing to unpack linux-u-boot-orangepi3-lts-current.deb ...
Unpacking linux-u-boot-orangepi3-lts-current (26.02.0-trunk-dietpi4) over (26.02.0-trunk-dietpi3) ...
Setting up linux-dtb-current-sunxi64 (26.02.0-trunk-dietpi7) ...
Armbian 'linux-dtb-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'postinst' starting.
Armbian: DTB: symlinking /boot/dtb to /boot/dtb-6.12.74-current-sunxi64...
'dtb' -> 'dtb-6.12.74-current-sunxi64'
Armbian 'linux-dtb-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'postinst' finishing.
Setting up linux-image-current-sunxi64 (26.02.0-trunk-dietpi7) ...
Armbian 'linux-image-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'postinst' starting.
Removing obsolete initramfs images
update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-6.12.74-current-sunxi64
'/boot/initrd.img' -> 'initrd.img-6.12.74-current-sunxi64'
Armbian: update last-installed kernel symlink to 'Image'...
'/boot/Image' -> 'vmlinuz-6.12.74-current-sunxi64'
Armbian: Debian compat: linux-update-symlinks install 6.12.74-current-sunxi64 /boot/vmlinuz-6.12.74-current-sunxi64
Armbian 'linux-image-current-sunxi64' for '6.12.74-current-sunxi64': 'postinst' finishing.
Setting up linux-u-boot-orangepi3-lts-current (26.02.0-trunk-dietpi4) ...
Armbian 'uboot-orangepi3-lts-current' for '2026.01-S127a-Pf461-H5afb-V5cf7-B4569-R448a': 'postinst' starting.
Armbian 'uboot-orangepi3-lts-current' for '2026.01-S127a-Pf461-H5afb-V5cf7-B4569-R448a': 'postinst' finishing.
[  OK  ] dpkg -i linux-dtb-current-sunxi64.deb linux-image-current-sunxi64.deb linux-u-boot-orangepi3-lts-current.deb

 DietPi-Set_hardware
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 Mode: flash-u-boot-mmc

1023+0 records in
1023+0 records out
1047552 bytes (1.0 MB, 1023 KiB) copied, 0.0738411 s, 14.2 MB/s
879+1 records in
879+1 records out
901041 bytes (901 kB, 880 KiB) copied, 0.0187525 s, 48.0 MB/s
[  OK  ] flash-u-boot-mmc (/dev/mmcblk0) | Completed

[MichaIng]

Looks like the kernel builds from yesterday were still in the Cloudflare cache (just cleared). However, they have been merged into APT already, hence the identical version strings.

So the lost Ethernet, if it really is that as well in your case, must then be related to U-Boot v2026.01 vs the older U-Boot version used before. Since prior to the PR at Armbian, without dtb fixes, Ethernet worked well. But not sure about the CPU issues, no one reported that to us before.

[eggypesela]

I will try to fix it first tomorrow (the device is in another location). What do you I should run tomorrow, is it this one? (Run the same previous script)

G_DEV_TEST_FIRMWARE
/boot/dietpi/func/dietpi-set_hardware flash-u-boot-mmc

[MichaIng]

Since you have the test U-Boot build flashed already, nothing is needed to run anymore. I just hope it connects to the network again after power cycle, and then you can check whether it still shows only a single available CPU core.

If you find time to replicate that warm reboots lead to failing Ethernet connectivity, while power cycles solve it, that would be great. So we have two users reporting the same issue, and I can discuss out findings with Cornelius.

[eggypesela]

No problem. Just tell me how to replicate it..

[MichaIng]

Just like you did before via nproc.

[eggypesela]

I just reboot the device manually and it's connected to internet, but unfortunately nproc still returns 1

The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software;
the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the
individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright.

Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent
permitted by applicable law.
 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 DietPi v10.1.2 : 08:19 - Tue 02/24/26
 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 - Device model : Orange Pi 3 LTS (aarch64)
 - CPU temp : 61 °C / 141 °F : Running hot, not recommended
 - LAN IP : 192.168.1.44 (eth0)
 - MOTD : Debian 13 Trixie has been released. Learn how to upgrade:
          https://dietpi.com/blog/?p=4014
 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 DietPi Team     : https://github.com/MichaIng/DietPi#the-dietpi-project-team
 Patreon Legends : Chris Gelatt, ADSB.im
 Website         : https://dietpi.com/ | https://x.com/DietPi_ | Bsky: @dietpi.com
 Contribute      : https://dietpi.com/contribute.html
 Web Hosting by  : https://login-online.com/

 dietpi-launcher : All the DietPi programs in one place
 dietpi-config   : Feature rich configuration tool for your device
 dietpi-software : Select optimised software for installation
 htop            : Resource monitor
 cpu             : Shows CPU information and stats

root@orangepi-3-lts:~# nproc
1
root@orangepi-3-lts:~#