[size=18pt][b]Brimstone Core / Control – Beta 1 update[/b][/size]

A fairly major change since my earlier post: the public Core target is now a normal Debian 13 amd64 package. Installation is being treated as part of the product rather than as a development workflow.

[b]The short version[/b]

1. Install Debian 13 (Trixie) amd64 on bare metal or a full VM (minimum 4 vCPUs and 8 GB RAM for virtual machines). Do not use LXC containers.
2. Download the Brimstone Core Beta 1 .deb directly from:
https://core-audio.uk/downloads/brimstone-core_1.0.2+hostqa4_amd64.deb

All Brimstone Control downloads — Apple TestFlight, Windows and Android — are here:
https://core-audio.uk/downloads.html
3. Install it:

[code]sudo apt install ./brimstone-core_1.0.2+hostqa4_amd64.deb[/code]

4. Commission Core:

[code]sudo brimstone-core-install[/code]

5. From another machine on the same LAN open:

[code]https://core.local/[/code]

If core.local does not resolve (especially across VLANs), use the LAN IP printed by the installer, e.g. https://192.168.1.50/. HTTPS uses a locally issued certificate until you trust the local authority.

First-boot login is:

[code]admin
password[/code]

Change the password once commissioning is complete.

The package owns the software while Core's database, library state and media paths live separately, so a later package upgrade does not replace the music catalogue.

[size=16pt][b]For Meridian / Sooloos owners[/b][/size]

The reason this project exists is still the same: I wanted to keep using Meridian/Sooloos hardware without being trapped by an ageing control layer or having to move the whole collection into somebody else's subscription ecosystem.

Core can sit alongside the existing Sooloos system and bring its library/endpoints into the same Control experience as Core-owned music, radio, podcasts, audiobooks and the other supported sources.

The current Apple Control family now covers macOS, iPhone, iPad, native CarPlay and tvOS.

[b]macOS Control[/b]
[img]https://core-audio.uk/assets/forum-beta1/03-macOS-Control-Your-Music.png[/img]

[b]iPad – Now Playing / lyrics / queue[/b]
[img]https://core-audio.uk/assets/forum-beta1/05-iPad-Now-Playing-Lyrics.jpg[/img]

[b]Native CarPlay[/b]
[img]https://core-audio.uk/assets/forum-beta1/10-CarPlay-Split-Map.jpg[/img]

[img]https://core-audio.uk/assets/forum-beta1/14-CarPlay-Now-Playing.jpg[/img]

[b]Apple TV / tvOS[/b]
[img]https://core-audio.uk/assets/forum-beta1/17-tvOS-Your-Music.jpg[/img]

[img]https://core-audio.uk/assets/forum-beta1/18-tvOS-Now-Playing.jpg[/img]

CarPlay has library/playback, queue, radio, podcasts and audiobooks using the native car interface rather than trying to squeeze the desktop UI onto the dashboard. tvOS has the corresponding big-screen library, album, Now Playing, radio, podcasts and audiobook views.

The updated website, installation notes and screenshots are here:

https://core-audio.uk/
https://core-audio.uk/install.html
https://core-audio.uk/apple.html
https://core-audio.uk/meridian.html

This Debian 13 Beta now includes VM/physical-host preflight, a repaired NetMD dependency lock, automatic Standalone/Bonjour setup, and same-LAN Sooloos broker detection on TCP 9080. Tailscale remote access requires each owner to authorise their own Core. Beta 1 is still Beta 1, so there will be bugs. The important change is that the installation and platform story is now much closer to the thing I actually want people to use: install Core as a Debian product, then use the native Control app appropriate to where you are.
QA4 note: automatic multicast and local TCP discovery cannot cross every routed VLAN. Where necessary, supply the known broker address manually. This Beta package has passed component-level tests but still requires an independent clean install before final release.

QA4 restores the missing Sooloos administration API and fixes HTTPS binding with Tailscale Serve. Tested on VM 851; a separate clean install remains pending.