Does WSL 2 generate proper flash on micro usb?

Autonomous Machines Jetson & Embedded Systems Jetson Nano
#1

I’m just starting, and I have a Nano and Xavier. But I don’t have a Ubuntu box, only a WSL VM. Can I work with the VM?

#2

WSL will fail. For example, it does not support loopback, and this is needed to generate the rootfs image.

A VM is not supported, but it can be made to work. The problem most people run into is that during a flash the USB will repeatedly disconnect and reconnect, and unless the VM is properly configured as sole owner of the USB device, the flash software will lose the USB device, and there is nothing the software can do if the host o/s removes access to the USB device.

So yes, you can make a VM work, but it probably is easier to set up dual boot with Ubuntu 18.04.

#3

On Windows, I was able to use “SD Memory Card Formatter” to format the micro SD, and used Etcher to flash an image for the Nano. Now I will try to use the Nano for setting up the Xavier.
ref https://developer.nvidia.com/embedded/learn/get-started-jetson-nano-devkit#write

#4

Some notes you might be interested in, with no particular order, not necessarily useful for any particular person…

  • Assuming you mean the full Xavier AGX, and not the Xavier NX, then this would imply eMMC memory in the boot process. The rootfs image used in other models which are purely SD card will not function with the eMMC model (at least not without some learning curve, and even then, the Xavier would need to be flashed to set up some of the boot content…basically pointers to boot support content). eMMC implies pointers to initial boot content which must be set up through flash of eMMC. Purely SD card models lack the need for that pointer, it is hard wired in. Plugging in a bootable SD card image without setting up those pointers (via flash) to see the SD card would result in a failed boot.
  • It is possible that if the boot environment is set up, then an eMMC Xavier could boot normally when no SD is present, but still boot SD if the SD is connected. The image to use in the SD card would not be a default image and would have to be created by you.
  • Images for eMMC are normally created with loopback mount of an image file, where the loopback makes the file appear to be a hard drive partition. Loopback won’t work in WSL, but it would work from a VM (with a VM you would have to worry about setting up USB to remain owned by the VM during flash with multiple disconnects and reconnects during flash of an eMMC module).
#5

I installed a dual boot Ubuntu / Windows 10. But now the flash fails. I’ll start a new thread.