Linux FAQs
How do I use a 64-bit Ubuntu host system with NVIDIA® Tegra® Linux-based product?
If you are running a 64-bit Ubuntu installation on the host PC, this release requires that you have 32-bit runtime support installed as well. The simple steps for installing 32-bit support on an Ubuntu host use the apt-get command.
To install 32-bit runtime support
• Execute the following commands:
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install ia32-libs
Note: If ia32-libs is not installed, flashing the boot loader with the kernel (and, possibly, other steps in the process) will fail.
How do I use display mode and resolution configuration with the X RandR application?
You can use the X Resize, Rotate and Reflect Extension (RandR) extension to manipulate and configure the attached displays (both the internal panel and any externally connected HDMI panel). The xrandr(1) utility is the most common way to do this.
You can find a tutorial on xrandr on the following website:
Are there generated ssh host keys for the sample file system?
There are no keys in the /etc/ssh directory of the provided sample file system. For information about creating the ssh host keys, see the ssh-keygen man page.
How do I determine the X driver ABI of the X server used in the root file system?
All tegra_drv.abi*.so files are in the driver package. By default the apply_binaries.sh script creates a sym-link from tegra_drv.so to the X ABI driver compatible with the provided sample file system.
How do I prevent the system display from blanking out?
Linux kernel 3.1 added a power saving feature that may blank the display of an idle system even when applications are running. The feature is called console blank (screen saver). It is defined as:
consoleblank= [KNL]
Where [KNL] is the console blank (screen saver) timeout in seconds. This defaults to 10*60 = 10 mins. A value of 0 disables the blank timer.
By passing arguments to the kernel command line, you can:
• Disable this feature, or
• Set the timeout to a longer interval.
With the flash.sh script, you can override the kernel command line options passed from fastboot to the kernel.
To disable the console blank (screen saver) from the kernel command line
1. In the grub configuration add the following line to the kernel parameters:
consoleblank=0
2. View the current consoleblank value with the following command:
$ cat /sys/module/kernel/parameters/consoleblank
To disable the console blank feature with an escape sequence
• Enter the following escape sequence:
$ echo -ne "\033[9;0]"
To change the console blank timeout value with an escape sequence
• Enter the following escape sequence:
$ echo -ne "\033[9;<timeout>]"
Where <timeout> is the timeout in seconds.
For more information on this escape sequence, see the console_codes(4) man page documents. For information on the input/output controls that provide some of the same functionality, see the console_ioctl(4) man page.
What is ‘softfp’ (also known as armel)?
Softfp means software floating point. Softfp systems perform floating point instructions with software floating point instructions instead of with the full capabilities of the Floating Point Unit (FPU).
What is ‘hardfp’ (also known as armhf)?
Hardfp means hardware floating point. Hardfp systems execute floating point instructions with full hardware floating-point support.
Are softfp binaries compatible with a hardfp distro? Are hardfp binaries compatible with a softfp distro?
No. Softfp binaries can only be used in a full softfp distro, and hardfp binaries can only be used in a full hardfp distro.
