Unable to install nvidia-l4t-kernel when Rootfs A/B enabled

Robotics & Edge Computing Jetson & Embedded Systems Jetson AGX Orin
1

I enabled Rootfs A/B in Jetson AGX orin, then faced a issue when trying to install nvidia-l4t-kernel.
The command is:

dpkg --force-overwrite -i nvidia-l4t-kernel_5.15.136-tegra-36.3.0-20240506102626_arm64.deb

Error log:

(Reading database ... 190018 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack nvidia-l4t-kernel_5.15.136-tegra-36.3.0-20240506102626_arm64.deb ...
Unpacking nvidia-l4t-kernel (5.15.136-tegra-36.3.0-20240506102626) over (5.15.136-tegra-36.3.0-20240506102626) ...
Setting up nvidia-l4t-kernel (5.15.136-tegra-36.3.0-20240506102626) ...
Using the existing boot entry 'primary'
3701--0004--1--jetson-agx-orin-devkit-
Info. Active boot storage: mmcblk0
TNSPEC 3701-501-0004-D.0-1-1-jetson-agx-orin-devkit-
COMPATIBLE_SPEC 3701--0004--1--jetson-agx-orin-devkit-
TEGRA_BOOT_STORAGE mmcblk0
TEGRA_CHIPID 0x23
TEGRA_OTA_BOOT_DEVICE /dev/mtdblock0
TEGRA_OTA_GPT_DEVICE /dev/mtdblock0
Info: Write TegraPlatformCompatSpec with 3701--0004--1--jetson-agx-orin-devkit-.
Starting kernel post-install procedure.
ERROR. Rootfs AB is enabled. Should never reach here.
dpkg: error processing package nvidia-l4t-kernel (--install):
 installed nvidia-l4t-kernel package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
Processing triggers for nvidia-l4t-initrd (36.3.0-20240506102626) ...
nv-update-initrd: Updating /boot/initrd from /etc/nv-update-initrd/modules for kernel version 5.15.136-tegra..
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/updates/drivers/net/ethernet/nvidia/nvethernet/nvethernet.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/updates/drivers/nvpps/nvpps.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/updates/drivers/net/ethernet/realtek/r8168.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/modules*
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/kernel/drivers/nvme/host/nvme.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/kernel/drivers/nvme/host/nvme-core.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/kernel/drivers/thermal/tegra/tegra-bpmp-thermal.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/kernel/drivers/pwm/pwm-tegra.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/kernel/drivers/hwmon/pwm-fan.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/kernel/drivers/pci/controller/dwc/pcie-tegra194.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/kernel/drivers/phy/tegra/phy-tegra194-p2u.ko
Add /bin/sh
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/kernel/drivers/usb/gadget/udc/tegra-xudc.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/kernel/drivers/usb/typec/ucsi/typec_ucsi.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/kernel/drivers/usb/typec/ucsi/ucsi_ccg.ko
Add /lib/modules/5.15.136-tegra/kernel/drivers/usb/typec/typec.ko
Cleaning up the temporary directory for updating the initrd..
Errors were encountered while processing:
 nvidia-l4t-kernel

Jetpack version is 6.0, jetson linux version is r36.3
I want to know why installing kernel is forbidden when rootfs A/B enabled，and how to solve it.
Thanks.

4

Hi,
The nvidia-l4t-kernel package is the kernel image for developer kit. You should not need to install it. Is there a reason to install it?

5

Hi
We need to change kernel source code to make application running better, so we need to install self-building nvidia-l4t-kernel package.

6

Hi,
This is not supported per
Root File System — NVIDIA Jetson Linux Developer Guide 1 documentation

Please use image-based OTA update or simple replace /boot/Image.

7

Yeah, these two ways both work. But I want to know the reason why installing kernel package is forbidden when rootfs ab enabled, is there any potential risk?

8

Hi,
Yes, there’s potential risk since it is not supported.

9

I want to know the detail about risk, thanks.

10

Hi,
One potential risk is the rootfs may be corrupted, so we use image-based OTA update when rootfs redundancy is enabled.

11

What kind of file corruption? Could you please provide a detailed explanation? We hope to receive a positive response that clarifies why the kernel cannot be installed.

The OTA update of images is not as efficient as the kernel installation. In many scenarios, the installation method using deb packages is very necessary.

12

Hi,
For enabling rootfs redundancy, we implement the method of image-based OTA update. Debian-package-based update is not supported. We will check this request for future planning. On current Jetpack releases, please use image-based OTA update, if rootfs redundancy is enabled.