diff --git a/.github/workflows/main.yml b/.github/workflows/main.yml
index abe6c34..e4ba0d1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/main.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/main.yml
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ jobs:
             CMAKE_ARGS: -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=clang++ -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=clang -DCMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=10.9
           - os: windows-latest
             CMAKE_ARGS: -G"Visual Studio 17 2022" -A"x64"
-          - os: ubuntu-22.04-arm
+          - os: ubuntu-24.04-arm
             CMAKE_ARGS: ""
 
     steps:
@@ -44,13 +44,13 @@ jobs:
           path: contrib
 
       - name: Setup cmake
-        if: matrix.os != 'ubuntu-22.04-arm'
+        if: ${{ !endsWith(matrix.os, '-arm') }}
         uses: jwlawson/actions-setup-cmake@v2
         with:
           cmake-version: '3.29.x'
 
       - name: Install CMake (Ubuntu arm64)
-        if: matrix.os == 'ubuntu-22.04-arm'
+        if: ${{ endsWith(matrix.os, '-arm') }}
         run: |
           sudo apt-get update
           sudo apt-get install -y cmake
@@ -59,12 +59,12 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         run: |
           if [ "$RUNNER_OS" == "Linux" ]; then
-            sudo apt-get -y install make autoconf automake tar patch libtool gcc
+            sudo apt-get -y install make autoconf automake tar patch libtool gcc libthrift-dev 
           elif [ "$RUNNER_OS" == "Windows" ]; then
             # choco install important_windows_software
             echo "Nothing to install"
           elif [ "$RUNNER_OS" == "macOS" ]; then
-            brew install autoconf automake libtool
+            brew install autoconf automake libtool thrift
           else
             echo "$RUNNER_OS not supported"
             exit 1
@@ -85,11 +85,25 @@ jobs:
           arch: x64
 
       - name: Build contrib
+        shell: bash
         run: |
-          mkdir "${{ github.workspace }}/contrib-build"
-          cd "${{ github.workspace }}/contrib-build"
-          cmake ${{ matrix.CMAKE_ARGS }} -DBUILD_TYPE=ALL -DNUMBER_OF_JOBS=4 ${{ github.workspace }}/contrib
-          cmake ${{ matrix.CMAKE_ARGS }} -DBUILD_TYPE=OPENMP -DNUMBER_OF_JOBS=4 ${{ github.workspace }}/contrib
+          if [ "$RUNNER_OS" == "Windows" ]; then
+            NPROC=$NUMBER_OF_PROCESSORS
+            WORKSPACE="${GITHUB_WORKSPACE//\\//}"
+          elif [ "$RUNNER_OS" == "macOS" ]; then
+            NPROC=$(sysctl -n hw.ncpu)
+            WORKSPACE="$GITHUB_WORKSPACE"
+          else
+            NPROC=$(nproc)
+            WORKSPACE="$GITHUB_WORKSPACE"
+          fi
+          export CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL=${NPROC:-4}
+          mkdir "$WORKSPACE/contrib-build"
+          cd "$WORKSPACE/contrib-build"
+          cmake ${{ matrix.CMAKE_ARGS }} -DBUILD_TYPE=ALL -DNUMBER_OF_JOBS=$CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL "$WORKSPACE/contrib"
+          mkdir -p "$WORKSPACE/contrib-build-openmp"
+          cd "$WORKSPACE/contrib-build-openmp"
+          cmake ${{ matrix.CMAKE_ARGS }} -DBUILD_TYPE=OPENMP -DNUMBER_OF_JOBS=$CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL "$WORKSPACE/contrib"
 
       - name: Configure Git for Tagging
         if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch'
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index c26f9f1..d3c7b4d 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -91,8 +91,8 @@
 ##       - however: exec_process seems to handle our arguments incorrectly (at least on Windows). Check functionality before you commit!
 
 # Determine what to build (all or single library)
-set( BUILD_TYPE LIST CACHE STRING "Can be used to restrict building to a single library: ALL,LIBSVM,XERCESC,BOOST,COINOR,BZIP2,ZLIB,GLPK,KISSFFT,OPENMP")
-set( VALID_BUILD_TYPES "ALL" "LIBSVM" "XERCESC" "BOOST" "COINOR" "BZIP2" "ZLIB" "GLPK" "EIGEN" "KISSFFT" "HDF5" "OPENMP")
+set( BUILD_TYPE LIST CACHE STRING "Can be used to restrict building to a single library: ALL,LIBSVM,XERCESC,BOOST,COINOR,BZIP2,ZLIB,GLPK,KISSFFT,OPENMP,ARROW")
+set( VALID_BUILD_TYPES "ALL" "LIBSVM" "XERCESC" "BOOST" "COINOR" "BZIP2" "ZLIB" "GLPK" "EIGEN" "KISSFFT" "HDF5" "OPENMP" "ARROW")
 
 # check build type
 if (BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "HELP" OR BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "LIST")
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ set (PATCH_DIR "${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/patches/" CACHE STRING "Directory containi
 ## Warning: ensure these are all upper-case names!
 set(BZIP2_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/bzip2-1.0.5)
 set(ZLIB_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/zlib-1.3.1)
-set(BOOST_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/boost_1_78_0)
+set(BOOST_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/boost-1.81.0)
 set(XERCES_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/Xerces-C_3_2_0)
 set(LIBSVM_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/libsvm-3.12)
 set(GLPK_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/glpk-4.46)
@@ -196,64 +196,70 @@ set(EIGEN_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/eigen-3.4.0)
 set(KISSFFT_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/kissfft)
 set(HDF5_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/hdfsrc)
 set(OPENMP_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/openmp-12.0.1.src)
+set(ARROW_DIR ${CONTRIB_BIN_SOURCE_DIR}/arrow-apache-arrow-22.0.0/cpp)
 
 ## source(archive) paths
 ## PLEASE upload all source archives to
-##     https://abibuilder.cs.uni-tuebingen.de/archive/openms/contrib/source_packages/
-## and provide the necessary information below
+##     https://github.com/OpenMS/contrib-sources/
+##  and provide the necessary information below
 ##  ARCHIVE_<LIBNAME> the name of the archive as it was uploaded
 ##  ARCHIVE_<LIBNAME>_TAR the name of the tar in the tar.gz
-##  ARCHIVE_<LIBNAME>_SHA1 the sha1 of the file uploaded to sourceforge
+##  ARCHIVE_<LIBNAME>_SHA256 the sha256 of the file uploaded
 ## e.g.
 ##  set(ARCHIVE_ZLIB zlib.tar.gz)
 ##  set(ARCHIVE_ZLIB_TAR zlib.tar)
-##  set(ARCHIVE_ZLIB_SHA1 "8e8b93fa5eb80df1afe5422309dca42964562d7e")
+##  set(ARCHIVE_ZLIB_SHA256 "e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855")
 ## NOTE: for local development you can simply place the *.tar.gz in the binary
-##       directory to prevent the download and sha1 verification
+##       directory to prevent the download and sha256 verification
+## LIBRARIES: BZIP2, ZLIB, BOOST, XERCES, LIBSVM, GLPK, COINOR, EIGEN, KISSFFT, HDF5, OPENMP, ARROW
 
 set(ARCHIVE_BZIP2 bzip2-1.0.5.tar.gz)
 set(ARCHIVE_BZIP2_TAR bzip2-1.0.5.tar)
-set(ARCHIVE_BZIP2_SHA1 "8b02713ea0c8eb501cc8bdac4432d7f29700f767")
+set(ARCHIVE_BZIP2_SHA256 "f7bf5368309d76e5daf3a89d4d1bea688dac7780742e7a0ae1af19be9316fe22")
 
 set(ARCHIVE_ZLIB zlib-1.3.1.tar.gz)
 set(ARCHIVE_ZLIB_TAR  zlib-1.3.1.tar)
-set(ARCHIVE_ZLIB_SHA1 "f535367b1a11e2f9ac3bec723fb007fbc0d189e5")
+set(ARCHIVE_ZLIB_SHA256 "9a93b2b7dfdac77ceba5a558a580e74667dd6fede4585b91eefb60f03b72df23")
 
-set(ARCHIVE_BOOST boost_1_78_0.tar.gz)
-set(ARCHIVE_BOOST_TAR  boost_1_78_0.tar)
-set(ARCHIVE_BOOST_SHA1 "ff717ea23af2900e0ad3cae616b3e4ae43e68ad7")
+set(ARCHIVE_BOOST boost-1.81.0.tar.gz)
+set(ARCHIVE_BOOST_TAR  boost-1.81.0.tar)
+set(ARCHIVE_BOOST_SHA256 "121da556b718fd7bd700b5f2e734f8004f1cfa78b7d30145471c526ba75a151c")
 
 set(ARCHIVE_XERCES Xerces-C_3_2_0.tar.gz)
 set(ARCHIVE_XERCES_TAR  Xerces-C_3_2_0.tar)
-set(ARCHIVE_XERCES_SHA1 "da64ed4065694a88378cad340c8382d15a614837")
+set(ARCHIVE_XERCES_SHA256 "68cca38aa0db168fa8ccce1f470a89d91104c4586e2635e0cd6602baf55e4eb8")
 
 set(ARCHIVE_LIBSVM libsvm-3.12.tar.gz)
 set(ARCHIVE_LIBSVM_TAR  libsvm-3.12.tar)
-set(ARCHIVE_LIBSVM_SHA1 "6ee77eb3d89af07fe48058dba0dcc24c85020b85")
+set(ARCHIVE_LIBSVM_SHA256 "9dcd7a301665d2cbd8c109bba0e8cc2d47b5cc2a9c46aeb359f2dab67be69f74")
 
 set(ARCHIVE_GLPK glpk-4.46.tar.gz)
 set(ARCHIVE_GLPK_TAR  glpk-4.46.tar)
-set(ARCHIVE_GLPK_SHA1 "73d589452dc1d8d6a784b3f86f4268cae37420d7")
+set(ARCHIVE_GLPK_SHA256 "fbbe438262f06813850837afd0cd55ed66f17f2004e2ce4f0078754f089e3242")
 
 set(ARCHIVE_COINOR CoinMP-1.8.3-vs22.tar.gz)
 set(ARCHIVE_COINOR_TAR  CoinMP-1.8.3-vs22.tar)
-set(ARCHIVE_COINOR_SHA1 "252aabfa824a2656e7abbc14278a61e02fe63e48")
+set(ARCHIVE_COINOR_SHA256 "75eefc0b0e06dc11a1e5004222f69766366c1e08d3b739f25f53c756ae28a309")
 
 set(ARCHIVE_EIGEN eigen-3.4.0.tar.gz)
 set(ARCHIVE_EIGEN_TAR  eigen-3.4.0.tar)
-set(ARCHIVE_EIGEN_SHA1 "d222db69a9e87d9006608e029d1039039f360b52")
+set(ARCHIVE_EIGEN_SHA256 "8586084f71f9bde545ee7fa6d00288b264a2b7ac3607b974e54d13e7162c1c72")
 
 set(ARCHIVE_KISSFFT kissfft-130.tar.gz)
 set(ARCHIVE_KISSFFT_TAR kissfft-130.tar)
-set(ARCHIVE_KISSFFT_SHA1 "14ee3bd4a6480dc7fbec9a6d3a16d5d9fbbfc0fb")
+set(ARCHIVE_KISSFFT_SHA256 "d846005b3a4b45202f3b288b2d6b5b1df544526ae6aaffe8707770bd09093064")
 
 set(ARCHIVE_HDF5 hdf5-1_14_3.tar.gz)
 set(ARCHIVE_HDF5_TAR hdf5-1_14_3.tar)
-set(ARCHIVE_HDF5_SHA1 "0e464802c2f9185f8b8db6e04149ca1d3eaf27c5")
+set(ARCHIVE_HDF5_SHA256 "126b800e9b87f65e7e7ffa58ee006607bab03a8e11e5209ea3d5c0c331321d43")
 
 set(ARCHIVE_OPENMP openmp-12.0.1.src.tar.xz)
-set(ARCHIVE_OPENMP_tar openmp-12.0.1.src.tar)
-set(ARCHIVE_OPENMP_SHA1 "7c051f6050ff23763b253a757927774b5eeaf644")
+set(ARCHIVE_OPENMP_TAR openmp-12.0.1.src.tar)
+set(ARCHIVE_OPENMP_SHA256 "60fe79440eaa9ebf583a6ea7f81501310388c02754dbe7dc210776014d06b091")
+
+set(ARCHIVE_ARROW arrow-apache-arrow-22.0.0.tar.gz )
+set(ARCHIVE_ARROW_TAR arrow-apache-arrow-22.0.0.tar )
+set(ARCHIVE_ARROW_SHA256 "8a95e6c7b9bec2bc0058feb73efe38ad6cfd49a0c7094db29b37ecaa8ab16051")
 
 ## necessary for clean up .. change if install process of library changes
 set(INCLUDE_DIR_BOOST ${CONTRIB_BIN_INCLUDE_DIR}/boost)
@@ -263,6 +269,7 @@ set(INCLUDE_DIR_COINOR ${CONTRIB_BIN_INCLUDE_DIR}/coin)
 set(INCLUDE_DIR_EIGEN ${CONTRIB_BIN_INCLUDE_DIR}/eigen3)
 set(INCLUDE_DIR_KISSFFT ${CONTRIB_BIN_INCLUDE_DIR}/kissfft)
 set(INCLUDE_DIR_OPENMP ${CONTRIB_BIN_INCLUDE_DIR}/openmp.src)
+set(INCLUDE_DIR_ARROW ${CONTRIB_BIN_INCLUDE_DIR}/arrow)
 
 ## hack for simple libs that do not have include directories
 set(INCLUDE_FILES_LIBSVM ${CONTRIB_BIN_INCLUDE_DIR}/svm.h)
@@ -476,6 +483,7 @@ include ("${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/libraries.cmake/eigen.cmake")
 include ("${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/libraries.cmake/kissfft.cmake")
 include ("${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/libraries.cmake/hdf5.cmake")
 include ("${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/libraries.cmake/openmp.cmake")
+include ("${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/libraries.cmake/arrow.cmake")
 
 ## build mac os x specific C/C++ flags
 set( OPENMS_CONTRIB_MACOSX_MIXED_MODE 0 CACHE INTERNAL "building multiple architectures on MacOSX" FORCE)
@@ -500,12 +508,6 @@ endforeach()
 set( FORCE_REBUILD OFF CACHE BOOL "All installation and build traces of the contrib packages will be removed before building.")
 message(STATUS "FORCE_REBUILD: ${FORCE_REBUILD}")
 
-set( NUMBER_OF_JOBS 2 CACHE STRING "Number of jobs executed in parallel during the build process if the build system supports multi-job builds (e.g., make, bjam)")
-if("${NUMBER_OF_JOBS}" STREQUAL "")
-  set( NUMBER_OF_JOBS 1 )
-endif("${NUMBER_OF_JOBS}" STREQUAL "")
-message(STATUS "NUMBER_OF_JOBS: ${NUMBER_OF_JOBS} (maximal number of concurrent compile jobs)")
-
 ## define building of shared or unshared versions of the contrib libraries
 set( BUILD_SHARED_LIBRARIES Off CACHE BOOL "Builds all contrib libraries as shared libraries.")
 
@@ -614,6 +616,15 @@ if ("OPENMP" IN_LIST BUILD_TYPE)
   OPENMS_COPY_LIBS("OPENMP")
 endif()
 
+##################################################
+###       ARROW                                ###
+##################################################
+if (BUILD_TYPE STREQUAL "ALL" OR "ARROW" IN_LIST BUILD_TYPE)
+  OPENMS_CLEAN_LIB("ARROW")
+  OPENMS_CONTRIB_BUILD_ARROW()
+  OPENMS_COPY_LIBS("ARROW")
+endif()
+
 ## finally copy README.txt to project-binary directory to mark process complete
 configure_file("${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/README.md" "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/README_contrib.txt"  COPYONLY)
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 27938d3..d96e5dd 100755
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ Please note that an internet connection is required to
 build the contrib since the actual source packages are
 only downloaded when built.
 
-You can find the sources on [(https://abibuilder.cs.uni-tuebingen.de/archive/openms/contrib)](https://github.com/OpenMS/contrib-sources).
+You can find the sources on [https://github.com/OpenMS/contrib-sources](https://github.com/OpenMS/contrib-sources).
 
 Build
 ============
diff --git a/dockerfiles/pyopenms/manylinux/ARM64_Dockerfile b/dockerfiles/pyopenms/manylinux/ARM64_Dockerfile
index 266b374..d6bd9b3 100644
--- a/dockerfiles/pyopenms/manylinux/ARM64_Dockerfile
+++ b/dockerfiles/pyopenms/manylinux/ARM64_Dockerfile
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ RUN mkdir contrib-build
 RUN ls -l
 WORKDIR /contrib-build
 RUN ls -l
-RUN cmake -DBUILD_TYPE=ALL ../contrib && rm -rf archives src
+RUN CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL=$(nproc) cmake -DBUILD_TYPE=ALL /contrib && rm -rf archives src
 
 WORKDIR /
 
diff --git a/dockerfiles/pyopenms/manylinux/Dockerfile b/dockerfiles/pyopenms/manylinux/Dockerfile
index 1640c23..3100bd9 100644
--- a/dockerfiles/pyopenms/manylinux/Dockerfile
+++ b/dockerfiles/pyopenms/manylinux/Dockerfile
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ RUN mkdir contrib-build
 RUN ls -l
 WORKDIR /contrib-build
 RUN ls -l
-RUN cmake -DBUILD_TYPE=ALL ../contrib && rm -rf archives src
+RUN CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL=$(nproc) cmake -DBUILD_TYPE=ALL /contrib && rm -rf archives src
 
 WORKDIR /
 
diff --git a/libraries.cmake/arrow.cmake b/libraries.cmake/arrow.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5f1ac8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libraries.cmake/arrow.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,157 @@
+##################################################
+###       Arrow   							   ###
+##################################################
+
+MACRO( OPENMS_CONTRIB_BUILD_ARROW )
+OPENMS_LOGHEADER_LIBRARY("arrow")
+#extract: (takes very long.. so skip if possible)
+if(MSVC)
+  set(ZIP_ARGS "x -y -osrc")
+else()
+  set(ZIP_ARGS "xzf")
+endif()
+OPENMS_SMARTEXTRACT(ZIP_ARGS ARCHIVE_ARROW "ARROW" "README")
+
+## build the obj/lib
+if (MSVC)
+  message(STATUS "Generating arrow build system .. ")
+  execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND}
+                          -D ARROW_BUILD_SHARED=${BUILD_SHARED_LIBRARIES}
+                          -D CMAKE_INSTALL_BINDIR=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/lib
+                          -G "${CMAKE_GENERATOR}"
+                          ${ARCHITECTURE_OPTION_CMAKE}
+                          -D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}
+                          -D CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}
+                          -D BOOST_ROOT=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}
+                          -D Boost_DIR=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}
+                          -D ARROW_CSV=ON
+                          -D ARROW_PARQUET=ON
+                          -D ARROW_WITH_ZLIB=ON
+                          -D ARROW_WITH_BZIP2=ON
+                          -D ARROW_WITH_ZSTD=ON
+                          .
+                  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${ARROW_DIR}
+                  OUTPUT_VARIABLE ARROW_CMAKE_OUT
+                  ERROR_VARIABLE ARROW_CMAKE_ERR
+                  RESULT_VARIABLE ARROW_CMAKE_SUCCESS)
+
+  # output to logfile
+  file(APPEND ${LOGFILE} ${ARROW_CMAKE_OUT})
+  file(APPEND ${LOGFILE} ${ARROW_CMAKE_ERR})
+
+  if(NOT ARROW_CMAKE_SUCCESS EQUAL 0)
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "Generating arrow build system .. failed")
+  else()
+    message(STATUS "Generating arrow build system .. done")
+  endif()
+
+  message(STATUS "Building arrow lib (Debug) .. ")
+  execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} --build ${ARROW_DIR} --target INSTALL --config Debug
+                  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${ARROW_DIR}
+                  OUTPUT_VARIABLE ARROW_BUILD_OUT
+                  ERROR_VARIABLE ARROW_BUILD_ERR
+                  RESULT_VARIABLE ARROW_BUILD_SUCCESS)
+
+  # output to logfile
+  file(APPEND ${LOGFILE} ${ARROW_BUILD_OUT})
+  file(APPEND ${LOGFILE} ${ARROW_BUILD_ERR})
+
+  if(NOT ARROW_BUILD_SUCCESS EQUAL 0)
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "Building arrow lib (Debug) .. failed")
+  else()
+    message(STATUS "Building arrow lib (Debug) .. done")
+  endif()
+
+  # rebuild as release
+  message(STATUS "Building arrow lib (Release) .. ")
+  execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND} --build ${ARROW_DIR} --target INSTALL --config Release
+                  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${ARROW_DIR}
+                  OUTPUT_VARIABLE ARROW_BUILD_OUT
+                  ERROR_VARIABLE ARROW_BUILD_ERR
+                  RESULT_VARIABLE ARROW_BUILD_SUCCESS)
+  # output to logfile
+  file(APPEND ${LOGFILE} ${ARROW_BUILD_OUT})
+  file(APPEND ${LOGFILE} ${ARROW_BUILD_ERR})
+
+  if(NOT ARROW_BUILD_SUCCESS EQUAL 0)
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "Building arrow lib (Release) .. failed")
+  else()
+    message(STATUS "Building arrow lib (Release) .. done")
+  endif()
+
+else() ## Linux/MacOS
+
+  # Build list of platform-specific CMake args
+  set(_ARROW_CMAKE_ARGS)
+  if(APPLE)
+    list(APPEND _ARROW_CMAKE_ARGS
+        "-DCMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=${CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET}"
+        "-DCMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT=${CMAKE_OSX_SYSROOT}"
+        "-DCMAKE_MACOSX_RPATH=TRUE"
+      )
+  endif()
+
+  # CFLAGS for arrow compiler
+  set(ARROW_CFLAGS "-Wall -O3 -fPIC")
+  set(ARROW_CXXFLAGS "-Wall -O3 -fPIC -I${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/include")
+
+  message(STATUS "Generating arrow build system .. ")
+  execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND}
+                          ${_ARROW_CMAKE_ARGS}
+                          -G "${CMAKE_GENERATOR}"
+                          "-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release"
+                          "-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}"
+                          "-DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}"
+                          "-DCMAKE_C_FLAGS=${ARROW_CFLAGS}"
+                          "-DCMAKE_CXX_FLAGS=${ARROW_CXXFLAGS}"
+                          "-DBOOST_ROOT=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}"
+                          "-DBoost_DIR=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}"
+                          "-DARROW_CSV=ON"
+                          "-DARROW_PARQUET=ON"
+                          "-DARROW_WITH_ZLIB=ON"
+                          "-DARROW_WITH_BZIP2=ON"
+                          "-DARROW_WITH_ZSTD=ON"
+                          .
+                  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${ARROW_DIR}
+                  OUTPUT_VARIABLE ARROW_CMAKE_OUT
+                  ERROR_VARIABLE ARROW_CMAKE_ERR
+                  RESULT_VARIABLE ARROW_CMAKE_SUCCESS)
+
+  # output to logfile
+  file(APPEND ${LOGFILE} ${ARROW_CMAKE_OUT})
+  file(APPEND ${LOGFILE} ${ARROW_CMAKE_ERR})
+
+  if(NOT ARROW_CMAKE_SUCCESS EQUAL 0)
+    message(STATUS "Generating arrow build system .. failed")
+    message(STATUS "Output: ${ARROW_CMAKE_OUT}")
+    message(STATUS "Error: ${ARROW_CMAKE_ERR}")
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "Arrow configuration failed. Check the log file for details: ${LOGFILE}")
+  else()
+    message(STATUS "Generating arrow build system .. done")
+  endif()
+
+  # rebuild as release
+  message(STATUS "Building arrow lib (Release) .. ")
+  execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND}
+                  --build ${ARROW_DIR}
+                  --target install
+                  WORKING_DIRECTORY ${ARROW_DIR}
+                  OUTPUT_VARIABLE ARROW_BUILD_OUT
+                  ERROR_VARIABLE ARROW_BUILD_ERR
+                  RESULT_VARIABLE ARROW_BUILD_SUCCESS)
+
+  # output to logfile
+  file(APPEND ${LOGFILE} ${ARROW_BUILD_OUT})
+  file(APPEND ${LOGFILE} ${ARROW_BUILD_ERR})
+
+  if(NOT ARROW_BUILD_SUCCESS EQUAL 0)
+    message(STATUS "Output: ${ARROW_BUILD_OUT}")
+    message(STATUS "Error: ${ARROW_BUILD_ERR}")
+    message(FATAL_ERROR "Building arrow lib (Release) .. failed")
+  else()
+    message(STATUS "Building arrow lib (Release) .. done")
+  endif()
+
+endif()
+
+ENDMACRO( OPENMS_CONTRIB_BUILD_ARROW )
diff --git a/libraries.cmake/boost.cmake b/libraries.cmake/boost.cmake
index 35ef287..cba8840 100644
--- a/libraries.cmake/boost.cmake
+++ b/libraries.cmake/boost.cmake
@@ -17,6 +17,13 @@ MACRO( OPENMS_CONTRIB_BUILD_BOOST)
     set(ZIP_ARGS "xzf")
   endif()
   OPENMS_SMARTEXTRACT(ZIP_ARGS ARCHIVE_BOOST "BOOST" "index.htm")
+
+  # Determine number of parallel jobs (fallback to 2 if not set)
+  if(DEFINED ENV{CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL} AND NOT "$ENV{CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL}" STREQUAL "")
+    set(_BOOST_PARALLEL_JOBS $ENV{CMAKE_BUILD_PARALLEL_LEVEL})
+  else()
+    set(_BOOST_PARALLEL_JOBS 2)
+  endif()
   
   if(MSVC) ## build boost library for windows
     
@@ -50,8 +57,8 @@ MACRO( OPENMS_CONTRIB_BUILD_BOOST)
       endif()
 
       set(BOOST_CMD_ARGS "${BOOST_ARG}" 
+                         "-j" "${_BOOST_PARALLEL_JOBS}"
                          "install" 
-                         "-j${NUMBER_OF_JOBS}" 
                          "--prefix=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}" 
                          "--layout=tagged"                   # create libnames without vcXXX in filename; include dir is /include/boost (as opposed to "versioned" where /include/boost-1.52/boost plus ...vc110.lib
                          "--with-math" 
@@ -174,13 +181,14 @@ MACRO( OPENMS_CONTRIB_BUILD_BOOST)
     if (BOOST_DEBUG)
       set(BOOST_DEBUG_FLAGS "--debug-configuration -d+2")
     endif()
+
     # boost cmd (use b2 since sometimes the copying/symlinking from b2 to bjam fails)
-    set (BOOST_CMD "./b2 ${BOOST_DEBUG_FLAGS} ${BOOST_ARCHITECTURE} toolset=${_boost_toolchain} -j ${NUMBER_OF_JOBS} --disable-icu link=${BOOST_BUILD_TYPE} cxxflags=-fPIC ${BOOST_EXTRA_CXXFLAGS} ${OSX_LIB_FLAG} ${OSX_DEPLOYMENT_FLAG} ${BOOST_LINKER_FLAGS} install --build-type=complete --layout=tagged --threading=single,multi")
+    set (BOOST_CMD "./b2 ${BOOST_DEBUG_FLAGS} ${BOOST_ARCHITECTURE} toolset=${_boost_toolchain} -j ${_BOOST_PARALLEL_JOBS} --disable-icu link=${BOOST_BUILD_TYPE} cxxflags=-fPIC ${BOOST_EXTRA_CXXFLAGS} ${OSX_LIB_FLAG} ${OSX_DEPLOYMENT_FLAG} ${BOOST_LINKER_FLAGS} install --build-type=complete --layout=tagged --threading=single,multi")
     
     # boost install
     message(STATUS "Installing Boost libraries (${BOOST_CMD}) ...")
     execute_process(COMMAND ./b2 ${BOOST_DEBUG_FLAGS} ${BOOST_ARCHITECTURE} toolset=${_boost_toolchain} 
-                    -j ${NUMBER_OF_JOBS} 
+                    -j ${_BOOST_PARALLEL_JOBS} 
                     --disable-icu
                     -s NO_LZMA=1
                     -s NO_ZSTD=1
diff --git a/libraries.cmake/bzip2.cmake b/libraries.cmake/bzip2.cmake
index 26a620d..3fe0863 100644
--- a/libraries.cmake/bzip2.cmake
+++ b/libraries.cmake/bzip2.cmake
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ MACRO( OPENMS_CONTRIB_BUILD_BZIP2 )
 
   else()
 
-    # CFLAGS for libsvm compiler (see libsvm Makefile)
+    # CFLAGS for bzip2 compiler
     set(BZIP2_CFLAGS "-Wall -Winline -O2 -g -fPIC -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64")
 
     # add OS X specific flags
diff --git a/libraries.cmake/coinor.cmake b/libraries.cmake/coinor.cmake
index 1dd76a9..c88985a 100644
--- a/libraries.cmake/coinor.cmake
+++ b/libraries.cmake/coinor.cmake
@@ -195,8 +195,6 @@ MACRO( OPENMS_CONTRIB_BUILD_COINOR)
     exec_program(${CMAKE_MAKE_PROGRAM} "${COINOR_DIR}"
       ARGS 
       install
-      #-j ${NUMBER_OF_JOBS} # the project has problems with multiple jobs. It tries to create folders at the same time and fails.
-      -j 1
       OUTPUT_VARIABLE COINOR_MAKE_OUT
       RETURN_VALUE COINOR_MAKE_SUCCESS
       )
diff --git a/libraries.cmake/glpk.cmake b/libraries.cmake/glpk.cmake
index 4804a33..9226d59 100644
--- a/libraries.cmake/glpk.cmake
+++ b/libraries.cmake/glpk.cmake
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ MACRO( OPENMS_CONTRIB_BUILD_GLPK )
 		configure_file("${GLPK_DIR}/src/glpk.h" "${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/include/glpk.h" COPYONLY)
 
   else()  
-		# CFLAGS for libsvm compiler (see libsvm Makefile)
+		# CFLAGS for glpk compiler
 	  set(GLPK_CFLAGS "-Wall -O3 -fPIC")
 	  
 		# add OS X specific flags
diff --git a/libraries.cmake/xercesc.cmake b/libraries.cmake/xercesc.cmake
index 3b471be..70bb31a 100644
--- a/libraries.cmake/xercesc.cmake
+++ b/libraries.cmake/xercesc.cmake
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ MACRO( OPENMS_CONTRIB_BUILD_XERCESC )
         OPENMS_PATCH( _PATCH_FILE XERCES_DIR _PATCHED_FILE)
 	
         if (WIN32)
-		#set(XERCES_EXTRA_CMAKE_FLAGS "-D...")
 		message( STATUS "Generating XERCES-C cmake build system for Debug and Release...")
 		execute_process(COMMAND ${CMAKE_COMMAND}
 								-D CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=${CMAKE_CXX_COMPILER}
@@ -34,7 +33,6 @@ MACRO( OPENMS_CONTRIB_BUILD_XERCESC )
 								${ARCHITECTURE_OPTION_CMAKE}
 								-D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}
 								-D CMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE=ON
-								#${XERCES_EXTRA_CMAKE_FLAGS}
 								.
 						WORKING_DIRECTORY ${XERCES_DIR}
 						OUTPUT_VARIABLE XERCES_CMAKE_OUT
diff --git a/libraries.cmake/zlib.cmake b/libraries.cmake/zlib.cmake
index e9fa029..bbbaeb7 100644
--- a/libraries.cmake/zlib.cmake
+++ b/libraries.cmake/zlib.cmake
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ if (MSVC)
                           -G "${CMAKE_GENERATOR}"
                           ${ARCHITECTURE_OPTION_CMAKE}
                           -D CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}
-                          ${ZLIB_EXTRA_CMAKE_FLAG}
                           .
                   WORKING_DIRECTORY ${ZLIB_DIR}
                   OUTPUT_VARIABLE ZLIB_CMAKE_OUT
@@ -84,7 +83,7 @@ else() ## Linux/MacOS
     set(_ZLIB_CMAKE_ARGS "")
   endif()
 
-  # CFLAGS for libsvm compiler (see libsvm Makefile)
+  # CFLAGS for zlib compiler
   set(ZLIB_CFLAGS "-Wall -O3 -fPIC")
 
   message(STATUS "Generating zlib build system .. ")
diff --git a/macros.cmake b/macros.cmake
index a63ecb0..fce8e5d 100644
--- a/macros.cmake
+++ b/macros.cmake
@@ -53,18 +53,18 @@ endmacro()
 macro(validate_archive libname)
   set(_archive_folder "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/archives")
   set(_target_file "${_archive_folder}/${ARCHIVE_${libname}}")
-  set(_target_sha1 ${ARCHIVE_${libname}_SHA1})
+  set(_target_SHA256 ${ARCHIVE_${libname}_SHA256})
 
   message(STATUS "Validating archive for ${libname} .. ")
 
-  file(SHA1 ${_target_file} _downloaded_sha1 )
-  if(NOT "${_downloaded_sha1}" STREQUAL "${_target_sha1}")
+  file(SHA256 ${_target_file} _downloaded_SHA256 )
+  if(NOT "${_downloaded_SHA256}" STREQUAL "${_target_SHA256}")
     file(REMOVE ${_target_file})
-    if("${_downloaded_sha1}" STREQUAL "da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709")
+    if("${_downloaded_SHA256}" STREQUAL "e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855")
       message(STATUS "Validating archive for ${libname} .. Found empty archive.")
       message(STATUS "Check your internet connection.")
     else()
-      message(STATUS "Validating archive for ${libname} .. sha1 mismatch (expected: ${_target_sha1} got: ${_downloaded_sha1})")
+      message(STATUS "Validating archive for ${libname} .. SHA256 mismatch (expected: ${_target_SHA256} got: ${_downloaded_SHA256})")
       message(STATUS "The archive file for ${libname} seems to be damaged and will be removed.")
     endif()
     message(STATUS "Please try to rebuild ${libname} to trigger a new download of the archive.")
@@ -78,12 +78,12 @@ endmacro()
 ## downloads the archive for the given library
 ## @param libname The library that should be downloaded
 macro(download_contrib_archive libname)
-  set(_BASE_URL "https://github.com/OpenMS/contrib-sources/releases/download/3.5.0pre1/")
+  set(_BASE_URL "https://github.com/OpenMS/contrib-sources/releases/download/3.5.0_pre_2/")
 
   # the files/folders where downloads are stored
   set(_archive_folder "${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/archives")
   set(_target_file "${_archive_folder}/${ARCHIVE_${libname}}")
-  set(_target_sha1 ${ARCHIVE_${libname}_SHA1})
+  set(_target_SHA256 ${ARCHIVE_${libname}_SHA256})
   set(_remote_file ${ARCHIVE_${libname}})
   set(_full_url "${_BASE_URL}${_remote_file}")
 
@@ -111,13 +111,13 @@ macro(download_contrib_archive libname)
       message(STATUS "Downloading ${libname} .. done")
       message(STATUS "Validating archive for ${libname} .. ")
 
-      file(SHA1 ${_target_file} _downloaded_sha1 )
-      if(NOT "${_downloaded_sha1}" STREQUAL "${_target_sha1}")
+      file(SHA256 ${_target_file} _downloaded_SHA256 )
+      if(NOT "${_downloaded_SHA256}" STREQUAL "${_target_SHA256}")
         file(REMOVE ${_target_file})
-        if("${_downloaded_sha1}" STREQUAL "da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709")
+        if("${_downloaded_SHA256}" STREQUAL "e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855")
           message(STATUS "Validating archive for ${libname} .. Found empty archive.")
         else()
-          message(STATUS "Validating archive for ${libname} .. sha1 mismatch (expected: ${_target_sha1} got: ${_downloaded_sha1})")
+          message(STATUS "Validating archive for ${libname} .. SHA256 mismatch (expected: ${_target_SHA256} got: ${_downloaded_SHA256})")
           message(STATUS "The archive file for ${libname} seems to be damaged and will be removed.")
         endif()
       else()