Orin Nano PXE Installation Issue

Issue Overview

Users are experiencing difficulties when attempting to install the Jetson Ubuntu OS on the Nvidia Jetson Orin Nano Dev Kit via PXE (Preboot Execution Environment). The main symptoms include:

• The installation process appears to complete too quickly (approximately one minute), leading users to suspect that the OS is not being fully installed.
• Upon rebooting without a network connection, the device defaults to a UEFI shell prompt instead of booting into the operating system.
• Users have followed extensive steps to create a PXE installation package but are unclear on how to specify the disk for OS installation.

The problem occurs during the setup process after flashing firmware version 36.2 and is compounded by a lack of clear documentation on PXE installations for this specific hardware. The issue seems consistent among users attempting similar setups, impacting their ability to utilize the device effectively.

Possible Causes

Several potential causes for this issue have been identified:

• Hardware Incompatibilities: The Orin Nano may have specific requirements for booting via PXE that are not met by certain configurations or hardware setups.
• Software Bugs or Conflicts: Issues could arise from bugs in the firmware or incompatibilities with the Jetpack version being used.
• Configuration Errors: Users may not be correctly specifying the installation parameters or disk targets during the PXE setup process.
• Driver Issues: Inadequate or incorrect drivers may lead to failures in recognizing hardware components necessary for booting.
• Environmental Factors: Power supply issues or temperature fluctuations could affect performance during the installation process.
• User Errors: Misconfigurations during setup, such as incorrect commands or missing steps, could lead to incomplete installations.

Troubleshooting Steps, Solutions & Fixes

To address the installation issue, users can follow these troubleshooting steps and solutions:

1. Verify PXE Server Configuration:

   • Ensure that the PXE server is correctly configured and serving all necessary files. Check logs for any errors during boot requests.

2. Check Firmware Version:

   • Consider updating to JetPack version 6.0 GA/36.3 as suggested by other users in the forum discussion, which may resolve compatibility issues.

3. Review Installation Steps:

   • Confirm that all steps in creating the install package were followed correctly. Pay particular attention to:
     • Executing ./nv_build_samplefs.sh with appropriate parameters.
     • Moving root filesystem files correctly and applying binaries with ./apply_binaries.sh.
     • Creating a default user using /Linux_for_Tegra/tools/l4t_create_default_user.sh.

4. Specify Installation Disk:

   • Investigate how to declare the target disk for OS installation within your PXE setup. This may involve modifying configuration files used by your PXE server.

5. Use Alternative Methods:

   • If PXE continues to fail, consider using an SD card for initial setup before transitioning to NVMe boot if supported.

6. Gather System Information:

   • Use terminal commands like dmesg and journalctl to collect logs that might provide insights into what is happening during boot attempts.

7. Test with Different Configurations:

   • Try different hardware setups (e.g., different network interfaces) or revert to previous firmware versions if issues persist.

8. Best Practices for Future Installations:

   • Always ensure that the latest drivers and firmware are installed before starting a new setup.
   • Keep detailed logs of each step taken during installation for easier troubleshooting in case of future issues.

9. Documentation and Resources:

   • Refer to Nvidia’s official documentation on Jetson Orin Nano Setup for additional guidance.
   • Look into community resources like GitHub discussions and forums for shared experiences and solutions from other users.

Unresolved aspects of this issue include specifics on how to declare installation disks within PXE configurations and whether there are known driver issues affecting certain setups. Further investigation may be required based on user feedback and ongoing developments from Nvidia regarding JetPack updates and support documentation.