Booting Orin Nano with NVMe Only

Issue Overview

Users are experiencing difficulties booting the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano Dev board when using an NVMe storage solution, specifically on a Waveshare carrier board that lacks an SD card slot. The flashing process via the SDK Manager appears to complete successfully, but the board fails to boot afterward. Symptoms include:

• No UART Output: After attempting to boot, there is no output on the UART console.
• Power LED Behavior: The power LED is illuminated, indicating power is supplied to the device.
• Fan Activity: The fan does not spin, suggesting that the system is not initializing properly.
• Inconsistent Booting: Swapping the Orin Nano with an Orin NX using the same NVMe drive (which contains a partially flashed OS for Nano) results in successful booting.

The issue occurs during the initial setup process when trying to flash and boot from NVMe. Users have reported that this problem seems to be specific to JetPack version 6.0, as flashing with JetPack 5.1.2 has yielded successful results.

Possible Causes

Several potential causes for this issue have been identified:

• JetPack Version Bug: Users have noted that the issue may be related to a bug in JetPack 6.0, as flashing with an earlier version (5.1.2) worked without issues.

• NVMe Boot Configuration: The Orin Nano may require specific configurations or settings to recognize and boot from NVMe, which might not be properly set up in the current environment.

• Carrier Board Compatibility: As this is a vendor-specific carrier board, there could be compatibility issues between the board and the Orin Nano, affecting its ability to boot from NVMe.

• Flash Command Issues: There may be problems with how the SDK Manager or flash commands are executed that prevent proper installation of the OS on NVMe.

• Environmental Factors: Power supply issues or overheating could potentially cause failure during boot-up.

Troubleshooting Steps, Solutions & Fixes

To address the issue of booting from NVMe on the Jetson Orin Nano, follow these troubleshooting steps and potential solutions:

1. Verify JetPack Version:

   • Ensure you are using JetPack 5.1.2 for flashing the device, as users have reported success with this version.

2. Reflash Using SDK Manager:

   • Use SDK Manager to reflash your board:
     • Connect your device and open SDK Manager.
     • Select your device type and ensure you choose the correct OS configuration (jetson-orin-nano-devkit-nvme).
     • Follow prompts to complete the flashing process.

3. Check UART Output:

   • Monitor UART output during boot by connecting a serial console. This can provide insight into where the boot process fails.

4. Test Different Configurations:

   • If possible, test with different NVMe drives or configurations to isolate whether the issue lies with specific hardware.

5. Use Flash Command Line Tools:

   • If SDK Manager fails, consider using command line tools for flashing:

     sudo ./flash.sh jetson-orin-nano-devkit-nvme mmcblk0p1
     

   • Ensure you have proper permissions and that your environment is set up correctly for command line operations.

6. Consult Carrier Board Documentation:

   • Review any documentation provided by Waveshare regarding compatibility and setup instructions for your specific carrier board.

7. Check Power Supply:

   • Verify that your power supply meets the requirements for both the Orin Nano and any additional peripherals connected.

8. Consider Kernel Compilation Issues:

   • If compiling custom kernels (like Jetson Linux v36), ensure all configurations are correct for NVMe support.

9. Seek Community Support:

   • If problems persist, consider reaching out on forums or community support channels where other users may have encountered similar issues.

10. Document Any Unresolved Issues:

    • Keep track of any additional errors or behaviors observed during troubleshooting for further investigation or when seeking help from Nvidia support.

By following these steps and recommendations, users should be able to diagnose and potentially resolve issues related to booting the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano from NVMe storage solutions.