I do not have a linux host computer, and was wondering if it is possible to download Caffe to the Jetson board without one. All the tutorials I have read seem like they require linux. I am fairly new to all of this so maybe this is a silly question, but how should I go about putting Caffe onto the Jetson?
You probably need to update the Jetson to the latest release as the first step and for that you do need an X86 Linux. It is recommended to update as the older releases do have annoying bugs.
There are several articles on the web. To install Caffe for CUDA version 6.0, L4T 19.X:
If you have CUDA 6.5 (which requires L4T 21.X):
which gives an overview and what to expect when installing. Note that Caffe is a quickly evolving framework, and these articles may not address all of the issues that you encounter. Also, CUDA 6.5 has a new package called cuDNN which Caffe can use to speed up processing. Here’s what to expect on an install:
cuDNN requires CUDA 6.5.
I’ll echo what kulve stated, if you are going to develop on the Jetson you will need access to a X86 Linux box so that you can upgrade the operating system. The version that comes with the board out of the box is rather crufty at this point, and the last year has brought about significant advancement in functionality and stability.
I have seen that first link before. Is that assuming you have a host linux machine? Or can I download the packages while my board is running and then install them onto it?
FYI, the “apt” commands and “dpkg” commands are all just ordinary Ubuntu Linux commands. All of those commands run from a normally booted Jetson (or any other normally booted Ubuntu Linux machine).
The point of emphasis is that some software (perhaps various releases of Caffe) requires older CUDA 6.0, for which only the original R19.x L4T series supports. To use a newer CUDA 6.5, you must use L4T version R21.x, which means flashing to go from R19.x to R21.x. It is the flash to R21.x which requires a linux host. CUDA beyond version 6.5 is out (version 7), but version 7 only runs on 64-bit platforms (such as the upcoming Tegra X1). So the real question is, for the Caffe software you want to install, is Caffe compatible with CUDA 6.0 (L4T R19.x), CUDA 6.5 (L4T R21.x), or CUDA 7.0 (64-bit platforms)?
That first web link you mention was designed for L4T R19.2, the version of L4T Jetson ships with. R21.3 is highly recommended…for which a Linux host is required for flash. Indirectly, CUDA 6.5 requires a linux host…only because flash to a supported L4T version requires a linux host.
Just to clarify, is CUDA already on the board? Or do I need to download it?
CUDA must be installed.
And I do not need a linux host to do this?
There is an article on the community resource for installing CUDA on your Jetson: Jetson/Installing CUDA - eLinux.org. To be clear, the only time that you need a Linux host is when you are flashing the entire operating system.
With that said, the flashing program on the Linux host will give you the convenience of installing a couple of the hardware dependent or accelerated libraries written especially for the Jetson while flashing the operating system. These libraries include CUDA.
If you want CUDA 6.0, no. If you want CUDA 6.5, yes. If you want CUDA 7.0, it isn’t possible due to being 32-bit.
Thank you so much!
So basically, I can download whatever I want to if it is compatible with the version of L4T?
Yes.