SENSING GMSL Camera#

SENSING GMSL2 cameras connect to a Jetson through the SG8A carrier and stream through NVIDIA SIPL. Choose either setup below to preview both cameras with nvsipl_camera, the vendor reference application. Run commands from a terminal on the Jetson desktop, at the Isaac Capture repository root. The preview appears on the Jetson monitor.

Prerequisites#

This setup targets a Jetson AGX Orin 64 GB with JetPack 7.2.1 / L4T R39.2.1, a SENSING SG8A-AGON-G2Y-A1 carrier, and two Astra SHW5G cameras on CN1 CAM2/CAM3. The SHW5G_2 configuration captures 2560×1984 at 60 fps per sensor through the ISP. Other camera populations are not tested.

Host setup needs network access, Git, and sudo. Container setup additionally needs Docker with the NVIDIA container runtime configured on the Jetson.

Warning

SIPL has exclusive access to the cameras. Stop any other camera client before running the check.

Host: setup and preview#

1. Install the host drivers.

src/plugins/sensing/scripts/setup.sh

Accept the installation and group-membership prompts. On first install, setup opens Jetson-IO: choose Configure Jetson AGX CSI Connector → Configure for compatible hardware → Jetson Sensing SG8A-AGON-G2Y-A1 SIPL GMSL2x8, then save and reboot. Return to the repository root after reboot. If only group membership changed, log out and back in before continuing.

2. Preview both cameras.

nvsipl_camera -t src/plugins/sensing/configs/shw5g.json -c SHW5G_2 \
    -m "0x0000 0x1100" --enable-camera-hal -s -Z --egl-display

A live camera grid opens on the monitor. The terminal also reports FPS for both sensors, approximately 60 fps each. Enter q in the terminal to stop.

Container: setup and preview#

Complete host setup above first, including the overlay reboot and group activation. Both setup scripts run on the host.

1. Build and enter the camera container.

src/plugins/sensing/docker/setup_container.sh

This builds the runtime image and opens a shell at the repository root inside it. Host camera tools, drivers, ISP tuning, device nodes, and the SENSING source directory are mounted automatically. The desktop X11 socket and authorization file are passed through for the preview. No SDK downloads or manual Docker flags are needed. The container runs as root with privileged device access; the SENSING source and vendor files are mounted read-only.

2. Run the same preview command inside that shell.

nvsipl_camera -t src/plugins/sensing/configs/shw5g.json -c SHW5G_2 \
    -m "0x0000 0x1100" --enable-camera-hal -s -Z --egl-display

The live camera grid appears on the same monitor as the host preview. Enter q to stop, then type exit to leave the container; it is removed when you exit. Subsequent launches can use setup_container.sh --no-build to reuse the image.

Setup details#

Host setup fetches the SENSING driver package and installs the SHW5G userspace drivers, camera HAL, ISP tuning, device-tree overlay, and reference tools. It compares file contents before installing updates and records the installed vendor commit in /var/lib/sensing/installed.json. A userspace-only update needs no reboot. There are no sensor kernel modules to load or per-boot setup commands.

Use setup.sh --pkg DIR for a local vendor package, --no-fetch to use the cached package, or --yes to accept prompts unattended. Setup returns a nonzero status if installation fails or a reboot/new login is still needed. The scripts’ --help output lists their options.

The tracked configs/shw5g.json supplies the two-camera configuration. The camera command uses --enable-camera-hal for this carrier, -Z to skip unsupported sensor authentication, -s to report FPS, and --egl-display to open the live preview. Add -r 10 for a ten-second run, or omit --egl-display for a terminal-only capture check.

For custom images, docker/Dockerfile.example shows the runtime dependencies. setup_container.sh --print-args prints shell-quoted Docker flags; --json emits the same flags as a JSON array. These runtime helpers do not install the SDK headers needed to compile SIPL applications.

Troubleshooting#

Run scripts/verify.sh on the side that fails for a read-only runtime report:

src/plugins/sensing/scripts/verify.sh

Symptom	Action
`SetPlatformConfig (Camera HAL) failed. status: 10`	Check device permissions, the selected overlay, and vendor mounts with `verify.sh`. Activate new host groups by logging in again.
`nvsipl_camera: command not found`	Complete host setup. It installs the tool in `/usr/sbin`; ensure that directory is on your host’s `PATH`. Recreate containers through `setup_container.sh` to mount the installed tool.
`Failed to open file .../shw5g.json`	Run the command from the repository root.
`cannot open NITO file .../SHW5G.nito`	Rerun host setup to install ISP tuning, then recreate the container.
No frames, or no modules after applying link masks	Check the cameras are on CN1 CAM2/CAM3 and use the masks shown above. Stop other SIPL clients before retrying.
`Failed to create EGLImage`	Check that `DISPLAY` does not point at Xvfb or another server that cannot use Tegra EGL. Use the physical desktop display.
Missing `DISPLAY` or Xauthority	Over SSH, set `DISPLAY` to the Jetson desktop (`:1` on the test rig). Container setup finds the current user’s GDM authority file automatically if `XAUTHORITY` is unset and `~/.Xauthority` is absent. For other desktop managers, set `XAUTHORITY` explicitly. SSH X11 forwarding does not target the Jetson monitor.
Low FPS or dropped frames	Check the Jetson power mode. Maximum performance can be selected with `sudo nvpmodel -m 0 && sudo jetson_clocks`.