ALPON X4 OS

ALPON X4 · Operating System Reference

ALPON X4 ships with a pre-installed, Sixfab-maintained Linux image based on Raspberry Pi OS Lite 64-bit Bookworm and tuned for the Raspberry Pi CM4. This page covers what's included, how to access the device on first boot, and how to keep it up to date.

What operating system does ALPON X4 run?

ALPON X4 runs ALPON X4 OS, a Sixfab-maintained customized version of Raspberry Pi OS Lite 64-bit Bookworm. The image is pre-installed at the factory and includes the Sixfab Connect agent for remote fleet management, ModemManager and NetworkManager for cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity, and OpenSSH for shell access. ALPON X4 OS targets the Raspberry Pi CM4 compute module and the arm64 architecture.

Overview

ALPON X4 OS is a minimal, hardened Debian image maintained by Sixfab. It builds on Raspberry Pi OS Lite 64-bit Bookworm, so the familiar apt package manager and the broader Raspberry Pi ecosystem work out of the box on this industrial edge AI computer.

Base

Raspberry Pi OS Lite 64-bit Bookworm

Architecture

arm64 / aarch64

Compute Module

Raspberry Pi CM4

What's pre-installed

The image is ready to boot and register with Sixfab Connect without additional setup. The following components are shipped on every device:

Sixfab Connect agent: fleet management & remote terminal
ModemManager & NetworkManager: cellular and Wi-Fi stack
OpenSSH server: local and remote shell access
mDNS / Avahi: local .local hostname resolution
Hardware watchdog: auto-recovery on system hang
VPN tooling: ready for secure remote tunneling

ALPON X4 OS does not ship with Docker or any container runtime. If your workflow requires containers, you can install Docker yourself with sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose-plugin, or deploy applications through ALPON Cloud which manages the container layer for you.

Uninstalling the Sixfab Connect agent or the alpon system user will break remote management, OTA updates, and pre-configured cellular connectivity. You can install and remove your own packages freely; Sixfab cannot guarantee stability if its own components are removed.

Architecture compatibility

ALPON X4 runs on a 64-bit ARM architecture (arm64 / aarch64). All custom binaries, container images, and third-party packages must be compiled for or compatible with arm64. x86 / amd64 binaries are not supported on this edge AI gateway.

If you install a container runtime, prefer multi-arch images or pin the platform explicitly: docker pull --platform linux/arm64 <image>. Most official images on Docker Hub publish arm64 variants.

First boot & setup

ALPON X4 is ready the moment it powers on. On first boot it brings up networking, registers with Sixfab Connect if provisioned, and starts the pre-configured services. From there, set up user access for day-to-day administration.

Default credentials

Every ALPON X4 ships with a factory-configured system user. Use these credentials for initial login only. Change them before deploying to production.

Default username

alpon

Default password

sixfab

The default alpon / sixfab credentials are shared across all ALPON X4 devices. Change the password or create a new admin user before connecting the device to any untrusted network. Do not delete the alpon account itself, as it is used internally by Sixfab Connect and other system services.

Device hostname

Each ALPON X4 has a unique hostname derived from its primary MAC address:

alpon-[MAC_ADDRESS]

The MAC address is printed on the device label. This guarantees no hostname collisions on the same network and lets you reach the device over mDNS as alpon-<MAC>.local without needing the IP.

Set up user access

Provision the device in Sixfab Connect

Before reaching the device remotely, register it to your Sixfab Connect organization. If you haven't done this yet, complete the Getting Started guide first.

Open a shell on the device

Pick the access method that fits where the device is and what you have on hand:

Recommended

Sixfab Connect remote terminal

Browser-based shell. Works from anywhere with no SSH client or local network setup.

SSH on the LAN

Connect from your computer when you're on the same network as the device.

Local HDMI display

Plug a display and USB keyboard into the device. Useful for first-time bring-up.

Secure the default alpon user

Pick one of the two options. Do not skip this step before exposing the device to any untrusted network.

Option A: change the password

passwd alpon

Enter and confirm the new password when prompted.

Option B: create your own admin user, then disable the default

Continue to Step 4 to create a new admin, then lock the alpon account password instead of deleting the user:

sudo passwd -l alpon

Do not delete the alpon user

The alpon account is used internally by Sixfab Connect and other system services. Removing it with deluser will break remote management. Lock the password instead with sudo passwd -l alpon.

Create your own admin user

Add a new system user. Replace [USERNAME] with your chosen username:

sudo adduser [USERNAME]

Then grant the user passwordless sudo by writing a dedicated sudoers file:

echo "[USERNAME] ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL" | sudo tee /etc/sudoers.d/[USERNAME]

Writing to /etc/sudoers.d/[USERNAME] is safer than editing /etc/sudoers directly: a syntax error in the per-user file does not lock you out of sudo system-wide. Use sudo visudo -f /etc/sudoers.d/[USERNAME] if you want validation on save.

Connect via SSH

From your computer, open a shell on the device using its .local hostname:

ssh [USERNAME]@alpon-[MAC_ADDRESS].local

Example: if your device's MAC is 2ccf67319374 and your username is ops:

ssh [email protected]

Username

Your created user, or alpon for the default.

Hostname

alpon-<MAC>.local (MAC printed on the device label)

Port

22 (default SSH)

Network

Same LAN as the device, or use the Sixfab Connect remote terminal from anywhere.

The .local suffix uses mDNS (Bonjour / Avahi). If your network blocks mDNS, use the IP address directly: ssh ops@<IP_ADDRESS>. The device IP is visible on the Sixfab Connect device page.

Connect a local display Optional

Plug an HDMI display and USB keyboard into the device to log in locally. The HDMI 2.0 port supports up to 4Kp60 output. Connect the display before powering on.

System updates

ALPON X4 OS uses standard Debian package tooling. Apply security patches with apt, and manage deployed applications separately through ALPON Cloud.

How do I update ALPON X4 OS?

Refresh the package index with sudo apt update.
Apply available upgrades with sudo apt upgrade -y.
Reboot if a kernel or firmware package was upgraded.

# 1. Refresh package lists
sudo apt update

# 2. Apply available upgrades
sudo apt upgrade -y

# 3. Reboot if the kernel or firmware was updated
sudo reboot

When updating multiple devices, do not update them all at once. Reboot one device, confirm it comes back online in Sixfab Connect, then proceed to the next. This protects you from regressions in upstream packages.

How do I update deployed applications?

Application updates are separate from OS updates. Pick the path that matches how the app was deployed:

Containers via ALPON Cloud Recommended

Push a new image tag from the Deploy Applications dashboard. Sixfab Connect orchestrates the pull, restart, and rollback across your fleet.

Manually-installed containers

If you installed a container runtime yourself, pull the new tag and recreate the container with the tooling you set up (for example docker pull followed by docker compose up -d).

System packages

Upgrade an individual package without touching others: sudo apt install --only-upgrade <package>.

Firmware and modem updates

Modem firmware and the Sixfab Connect agent are delivered through apt and, where applicable, through Sixfab Connect OTA. You don't need to manage them manually. apt upgrade picks up Sixfab-maintained packages automatically.

Avoid apt autoremove on Sixfab packages

If autoremove lists sixfab-* or modemmanager as removable, cancel the operation. Removing these packages disconnects the device from ALPON Cloud and breaks pre-configured cellular connectivity.

OS image & recovery

The ALPON X4 OS image is pre-installed at the factory and is not distributed as a public download. Shipping the OS on the device avoids the hardware-specific edge cases that come with end-user flashing of industrial edge computing images.

If you believe your device needs to be re-flashed, for example after a failed upgrade or recovery-blocking misconfiguration, contact Sixfab support. Support will confirm whether a re-flash is actually needed and provide the recovery procedure for your device's serial.

Many "broken OS" symptoms are recoverable from a working shell:

Use the Sixfab Connect remote terminal. It works even if LAN or SSH is misconfigured, as long as the cellular link is alive.
If a recent upgrade broke something: journalctl -xe for diagnostics, then sudo apt install --reinstall <package>.

Need to recover the OS? Contact Sixfab support.

Have your device serial number ready. Support will verify the fault and provide the recovery procedure.

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