Quick Start — NVIDIA Jetson Linux Developer Guide (original) (raw)

This topic will help you get started quickly using NVIDIA® Jetson™ Linux with an NVIDIA Jetson developer kit.

Types and Models of Jetson Devices#

Both Jetson modules and Jetson developer kits are available from NVIDIA. A Jetson developer kit includes a non-production-specification Jetson module attached to a reference carrier board. You can use it with NVIDIA® JetPack™ SDK to develop and test software for your use case. Jetson developer kits are not intended for production use.

Jetson modules are suitable for deployment in a production environment throughout their operating lifetime. Each Jetson module ships with no software preinstalled; you attach it to a carrier board designed or procured for your end product and flash it with the software image you have developed.

This release of Jetson Linux supports the following Jetson devices:

• NVIDIA® Jetson Orin™ NX and Nano modules and the Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit
• NVIDIA® Jetson AGX Orin™ modules and the Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit

For details about these Jetson devices, see theJetson Software Documentationpage of theNVIDIA Edge Computingweb site, and theJetson FAQ.

Preparing a Jetson Developer Kit for Use#

This section explains how to prepare a Jetson developer kit for use by flashing it with the appropriate software.

Later sections of this guide explain in more detail how to:

• Set upa Jetson developer kit
• Flashing Supportsoftware to a Jetson developer kit

Assumptions#

• You have a Jetson developer kit and a separate Linux (Ubuntu 22.04 or Ubuntu 20.04) host system.
• Your Jetson developer kit is powered off and is connected as follows. (Note that your Jetson developer kit may not come with the devices and cables listed below.)
  • Linux host is connected for flashing through the appropriate USB Type-C port of the developer kit.
    For NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit, use the USB-C port next to the 40 pin header.
    For other Jetson developer kits, please refer to the developer kit user guide document.
  • Any required USB peripherals such as keyboard and mouse are connected to the Jetson developer. You may use a USB hub for this.
  • A wired Ethernet connection with internet access is connected for installing optional software on the developer kit when Jetson Linux has been installed and is running.
  • A display device or a serial console is connected. A serial console is a terminal program, such as minicom, that runs on the host computer or another connected computer.
  • If flashing the rootfs to an SD card or USB flash drive on Orin NX or Orin Nano, the storage size must be 64GB or larger.

Environment Variables#

Your host system must be configured to set certain environment variables:

• ${L4T_RELEASE_PACKAGE} contains the name of the Jetson Linux release package:Jetson_Linux_<version>_aarch64.tbz2.
• ${SAMPLE_FS_PACKAGE} contains the name of the sample file system package:Tegra_Linux_Sample-Root-Filesystem_<version>_aarch64.tbz2.
• ${BOARD} contains the name of a supported configuration of Jetson module and the carrier board. Common values for this field can be found in the Configuration column in the Jetson Modules and Configurations table.

To Flash the Jetson Developer Kit Operating Software#

1. Download the latest Jetson Linux release package and sample file system for your Jetson developer kit from https://developer.nvidia.com/linux-tegra
2. Enter the following commands to untar the files and assemble the rootfs:
   $ tar xf ${L4T_RELEASE_PACKAGE}
   $ sudo tar xpf ${SAMPLE_FS_PACKAGE} -C Linux_for_Tegra/rootfs/
   $ cd Linux_for_Tegra/
   $ sudo ./tools/l4t_flash_prerequisites.sh
   $ sudo ./apply_binaries.sh
3. Ensure that your Jetson developer kit is configured and connected to your Linux host as described inAssumptions.
4. Put your Jetson developer kit into Force Recovery Mode.
   • For the Jetson AGX Orin developer kit:
     1. Ensure that the developer kit is powered off.
     2. Press and hold down the Force Recovery button.
     3. Press, then release the Power button.
     4. Release the Force Recovery button.
   • For the Jetson Orin Nano developer kit:
     1. Disconnect the power cable to ensure that the developer kit is powered off.
     2. Place a jumper to short the REC and GND pins on the 12-pin button header.
     3. Reconnect the power cable.
5. Confirm that the developer kit is in Force Recovery Mode by following the procedureTo determine whether the developer kit is in force recovery mode.
6. Enter this command on your Linux host to install (flash) the Jetson release onto the Jetson developer kit.
   • Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit (NVMe):
     $ sudo ./tools/kernel_flash/l4t_initrd_flash.sh --external-device nvme0n1p1 \
     -c tools/kernel_flash/flash_l4t_t234_nvme.xml -p "-c bootloader/generic/cfg/flash_t234_qspi.xml" \
     --showlogs --network usb0 jetson-orin-nano-devkit internal
   • Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit (USB):
     $ sudo ./tools/kernel_flash/l4t_initrd_flash.sh --external-device sda1 \
     -c tools/kernel_flash/flash_l4t_t234_nvme.xml -p "-c bootloader/generic/cfg/flash_t234_qspi.xml" \
     --showlogs --network usb0 jetson-orin-nano-devkit internal
   • Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit (SD card):
     $ sudo ./tools/kernel_flash/l4t_initrd_flash.sh --external-device mmcblk0p1 \
     -c tools/kernel_flash/flash_l4t_t234_nvme.xml -p "-c bootloader/generic/cfg/flash_t234_qspi.xml" \
     --showlogs --network usb0 jetson-orin-nano-devkit internal
   • Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit with Super Configuration (NVMe) (for more information on Super configuration, refer to Supported Modes and Power Efficiency):
     $ sudo ./tools/kernel_flash/l4t_initrd_flash.sh --external-device nvme0n1p1 \
     -c tools/kernel_flash/flash_l4t_t234_nvme.xml -p "-c bootloader/generic/cfg/flash_t234_qspi.xml" \
     --showlogs --network usb0 jetson-orin-nano-devkit-super internal
   • Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit with Super Configuration (USB):
     $ sudo ./tools/kernel_flash/l4t_initrd_flash.sh --external-device sda1 \
     -c tools/kernel_flash/flash_l4t_t234_nvme.xml -p "-c bootloader/generic/cfg/flash_t234_qspi.xml" \
     --showlogs --network usb0 jetson-orin-nano-devkit-super internal
   • Jetson Orin Nano Developer Kit with Super Configuration (SD card):
     $ sudo ./tools/kernel_flash/l4t_initrd_flash.sh --external-device mmcblk0p1 \
     -c tools/kernel_flash/flash_l4t_t234_nvme.xml -p "-c bootloader/generic/cfg/flash_t234_qspi.xml" \
     --showlogs --network usb0 jetson-orin-nano-devkit-super internal
   • Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit (eMMC):
     $ sudo ./flash.sh jetson-agx-orin-devkit internal
   • Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit (NVMe):
     $ sudo ./tools/kernel_flash/l4t_initrd_flash.sh --external-device nvme0n1p1 \
     -c tools/kernel_flash/flash_l4t_t234_nvme.xml \
     --showlogs --network usb0 jetson-agx-orin-devkit external
   • Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit (USB):
     $ sudo ./tools/kernel_flash/l4t_initrd_flash.sh --external-device sda1 \
     -c tools/kernel_flash/flash_l4t_t234_nvme.xml \
     --showlogs --network usb0 jetson-agx-orin-devkit external
   • Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit (SD card):
     $ sudo ./tools/kernel_flash/l4t_initrd_flash.sh --external-device mmcblk0p1 \
     -c tools/kernel_flash/flash_l4t_t234_nvme.xml \
     --showlogs --network usb0 jetson-agx-orin-devkit external
     Note
     When booting your system, make sure to select the corresponding flashed boot media from the UEFI menu to boot. For example, if flashing from an NVMe drive, make sure to select the NVMe drive as your boot option from the UEFI menu.
     Refer to Using flash.sh with Orin NX and Nano for more information.
     A list of common configurations is provided in Jetson Modules and Configurations.
7. The Jetson developer kit automatically reboots when the installation process is complete. At this point your Jetson developer kit is operational. Follow the prompts on the display to set up a user account and log in.

Jetson Modules and Configurations#

Jetson Linux provides ready-made support for the following configurations.

Development modules are sold only as the components of a developer kit. Production modules are compatible with the listed carrier boards and are mainly intended for production use, so they are only sold separately. Development and production modules are sold both ways.

Each configuration shown in the preceding table has a corresponding file with the extension .conf. For example, the configuration file for jetson-orin-nano-devkit is jetson-orin-nano-devkit.conf / jetson-orin-nano-devkit-super.conf. Compared to jetson-orin-nano-devkit.conf, jetson-orin-nano-devkit-super.conf has a higher power budget and extended clock-frequency steps. For more information on Super configuration, refer to Supported Modes and Power Efficiency.

To Determine Whether the Developer Kit Is in Force Recovery Mode#

1. Connect your Linux host computer to the appropriate USB port on your Jetson developer kit (seeAssumptions).
2. Open a terminal window on your host computer and enter commandlsusb. The Jetson module is in Force Recovery Mode if you see the message:
   Bus Device : ID 0955: Nvidia Corp.
   Where:
   • <bbb> is any three-digit number.
   • <ddd> is any three-digit number.
   • <nnnn> is a four-digit number that represents the type of your Jetson module:
     * 7023 for Jetson AGX Orin (P3701-0000 with 32GB)
     * 7023 for Jetson AGX Orin (P3701-0005 with 64GB)
     * 7023 for Jetson AGX Orin Industrial (P3701-0008 with 64GB)
     * 7223 for Jetson AGX Orin (P3701-0004 with 32GB)
     * 7323 for Jetson Orin NX (P3767-0000 with 16GB)
     * 7423 for Jetson Orin NX (P3767-0001 with 8GB)
     * 7523 for Jetson Orin Nano (P3767-0003 and P3767-0005 with 8GB)
     * 7623 for Jetson Orin Nano (P3767-0004 with 4GB)