seeed-projects/seeed-jetson-developtool/software-package-upgrade

Upgrade Software Packages for Jetson

Execution model

Run one phase at a time. After each phase, verify the expected result before continuing.

• If a phase succeeds → print [OK] and move to the next phase.
• If a phase fails → print [STOP], consult the failure decision tree, and ask the user before retrying.

Phase 1 — Understand the risks of partial upgrades

OTA/incremental/partial updates (sudo apt upgrade) can harm the Jetson OS by causing dependency mismatches, system instability, and missed security patches. Full JetPack updates are the recommended approach for Seeed Jetson devices.

Key points:

• Seeed releases JetPacks after NVIDIA releases theirs, ensuring stability.
• sudo apt upgrade is NOT recommended on Jetson devices.
• Full ROM/JetPack updates maintain system compatibility and security.

Phase 2 — Upgrade a specific package (if safe)

If you are sure the package does not depend on system-level NVIDIA packages:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install <Your_Package>

Replace <Your_Package> with the specific package name.

# Verify the installed version
dpkg -l | grep <Your_Package>

Expected: Package installs/upgrades without breaking system dependencies.

Phase 3 — Build from source (alternative)

For open-source software where apt packages are outdated:

# Download source and compile
# Example pattern:
git clone <source_repo_url>
cd <source_dir>
# Follow project-specific build instructions
make
sudo make install

Expected: Software built and installed from source.

Phase 4 — Wait for new JetPack release (safest option)

Check for new JetPack releases at:

• NVIDIA JetPack SDK
• Seeed Jetson wiki

# Check current JetPack version
cat /etc/nv_tegra_release
dpkg -l | grep nvidia-jetpack

Expected: Current version identified; user can plan upgrade to newer JetPack.

Failure decision tree

Reference files

• references/source.body.md — Full original wiki content (reference only)