Flashing to Device Fails – NFS Export Issue on Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano Dev Board

Issue Overview

Users are experiencing a failure during the flashing process of the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano Dev board using the NVIDIA SDK Manager. The specific error encountered is:

exportfs: /home/ubuntu/nvidia/nvidia_sdk/JetPack_5.1.2_Linux_JETSON_ORIN_NANO_TARGETS/Linux_for_Tegra/rootfs does not support NFS export

This issue arises after the target image creation and identification of the Orin Nano device, indicating a problem during the flashing step.

Context of the Problem

• Setup Environment: The issue occurs while using NVIDIA SDK Manager, specifically during the flashing process.
• Hardware and Software Specifications: The user is working with an Ubuntu host system and JetPack version 5.1.2.
• Frequency: The problem appears consistently when attempting to flash the device under the specified conditions.
• Impact: This failure prevents users from successfully deploying their applications on the Orin Nano, hindering development and testing processes.

Possible Causes

• NFS Export Configuration: The error message suggests that the root filesystem directory does not support NFS export, which is crucial for the flashing process.

• Disk Format Issues: If the host PC’s disk format is not ext4, it may lead to compatibility problems with NFS exports.

• Virtualization Issues: Using Docker or virtual machines could introduce complications in accessing filesystem permissions or network configurations.

• Software Bugs: There may be bugs in the NVIDIA SDK Manager or JetPack that affect the flashing process.

• User Misconfiguration: Incorrect settings in the SDK Manager or environmental variables could lead to this issue.

Troubleshooting Steps, Solutions & Fixes

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

1. Verify Disk Format:

   • Check if your host PC’s disk is formatted as ext4. You can do this by running:

     df -T /home/ubuntu/nvidia/nvidia_sdk
     

   • If it’s not ext4, consider reformatting or using a different partition.

2. Check NFS Configuration:

   • Ensure that NFS is correctly configured on your system. You can check your /etc/exports file to confirm that it includes proper export configurations.

3. Inspect Virtualization Settings:

   • If using Docker or a virtual machine, ensure that they have proper access to your filesystem and network settings.

Potential Fixes

• Use Native Environment: If you are using Docker or a VM, try flashing directly from a native Ubuntu installation to eliminate potential virtualization issues.

• Correct NFS Export Settings:

  • Modify your NFS settings to ensure that the directory specified in the error message is properly exported. Use commands like:

    sudo exportfs -a
    

• Update SDK Manager and JetPack:

  • Ensure you are using the latest version of NVIDIA SDK Manager and JetPack. Updates may contain bug fixes relevant to this issue.

Additional Commands

To gather more information about your system setup, use:

uname -a
cat /etc/os-release

Best Practices

• Regularly update your development environment and dependencies to minimize compatibility issues.
• Maintain backups of your configurations before making significant changes.

Unresolved Aspects

While some users have reported success by switching to a native environment for flashing, there may still be unresolved issues related to specific configurations or software versions that require further investigation. Users experiencing this issue should consider opening a new topic for additional support if problems persist after following these steps.