ERROR: Failed building wheel for onnx on Nvidia Jetson Nano

Issue Overview

Users are experiencing an error while attempting to install the ONNX library on the Nvidia Jetson Nano development board. The specific error message is:

ERROR: Failed building wheel for onnx
ERROR: Could not build wheels for onnx, which is required to install pyproject.toml-based projects.

This issue arises during the execution of the command:

python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt

The problem occurs in the context of running a sample Python program related to PackNet located in the directory /usr/src/tensorrt/samples/python/onnx_packnet. Users have reported this issue consistently, indicating that it is not an isolated incident. The impact of this problem significantly hinders users’ ability to run applications that depend on ONNX, affecting their overall experience and functionality of their projects.

The environment details mentioned include:

• Operating System: Ubuntu 18.04
• Python Version: 3.6

Possible Causes

Several potential causes for this issue have been identified:

• Hardware Incompatibilities: The Jetson Nano may have specific hardware limitations that affect the installation of certain packages.

• Software Bugs or Conflicts: There may be bugs in the ONNX package or conflicts with other installed libraries.

• Configuration Errors: Incorrect configurations in the environment setup could lead to installation failures.

• Driver Issues: Outdated or incompatible drivers may prevent successful compilation of dependencies.

• Environmental Factors: Issues such as insufficient power supply or temperature fluctuations could affect performance.

• User Errors or Misconfigurations: Mistakes in following installation instructions or misconfigured environments can lead to errors.

Troubleshooting Steps, Solutions & Fixes

To resolve the issue, users can follow these comprehensive troubleshooting steps and solutions:

1. Install Dependencies:
   Ensure that all required dependencies are installed by executing the following commands:

   sudo apt-get install libprotobuf-dev protobuf-compiler
   pip3 install setuptools==49.6.0
   pip3 install cython==0.29.36
   

2. Download and Build Protobuf from Source:
   If issues persist, download and build Protobuf from source:

   wget https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf/releases/download/v3.5.1/protobuf-all-3.5.1.tar.gz
   tar -xvzf protobuf-all-3.5.1.tar.gz 
   cd protobuf-3.5.1/
   ./autogen.sh
   ./configure
   make
   sudo make install
   

3. Install ONNX:
   After ensuring Protobuf is correctly installed, attempt to install ONNX again:

   pip3 install onnx==1.12
   

4. Remove Conflicting Packages:
   If you encounter errors related to Protobuf, consider removing any existing installations of protobuf-compiler:

   sudo apt remove protobuf-compiler
   

5. Check for Shared Library Issues:
   If errors regarding shared libraries arise (e.g., libprotoc.so), ensure that the library paths are correctly set and that all required libraries are installed.

6. Verify Python Environment:
   Ensure that you are using the correct Python version and environment (Python 3.6 for Jetson Nano). You can check your Python version with:

   python3 --version
   

7. Use Virtual Environments:
   To avoid conflicts with system packages, consider using a virtual environment:

   python3 -m venv myenv
   source myenv/bin/activate
   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

8. Consult Documentation and Community Resources:
   For additional help, refer to relevant documentation or community forums related to ONNX and Jetson Nano.

9. Recommended Approach:
   Many users have successfully resolved this issue by following the steps outlined above, particularly by ensuring Protobuf is correctly installed and removing conflicting packages.

By following these steps, users should be able to diagnose and fix the installation issues with ONNX on their Jetson Nano boards effectively.