Trouble with installation via PyBOMBS, on Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS

GNU Radio
1

Not a big fan of asking for help with something as mundane as this,
but…

Simply ran out of ‘grunt’ from my Core2Duo MacBook Pro - pretty damn
quick -
and have thus migrated across to an old Core2Quad that was lying around,
otherwise unused.

(Didn’t struggle utilising MacPorts within OS X, to get GNU Radio / GRC
installed and running happily with my B200 - but I ran out of processing
headroom pretty quick nonetheless!)

So, embarked on a brand new journey with a freshly minted Ubuntu
14.04.2LTS
.iso and installed it from scratch on the Core2Quad, allowing the
installation to perform all of its updates unimpeded, then apt-get
update
and upgrade.

It was mentioned here,
(http://gnuradio.4.n7.nabble.com/Installing-GNU-Radio-td50988.html),
that
python-scipy has caused errors with the PyBOMBS installation of GNU
Radio,
so next up was apt-get install python-scipy.

Lucky last, pulled the trigger and commenced the suggested route of
using
PyBOMBS to get it done - (following to the letter the instructions as
below;)

git clone git://github.com/pybombs/pybombs

cd pybombs

./pybombs install gnuradio

Once complete, (Man, it took a while!), the final instructions carried
out
also without a problem;

./pybombs env

Upon confirming the above file’s location using the File Manager and
then
cd’ing my way into this directory, (which just happened to be my Home
Directory), I fired the last command into Terminal;

source target/setup_env.sh

Everything seems to have gone off without a hitch, as upon any reboot -
I
open Terminal, confirm I’m in my Home Directory and type ‘source
target/setup_env.sh’

Next, typing ‘gnuradio-companion’ has me immediately where I need to be

except…

Whenever I place any ‘wx_gui’ related blocks on the canvas, they all
contain
the same ‘Flow Graph Error’, preventing execution outright;

(This error generated from attempting to use the WX FFT Sink, for
example)

Error 0:
Block - wxgui_fftsink2_0 - WX GUI FFT Sink(wxgui_fftsink2):
Can’t generate this block in mode ‘wx_gui’

So that’s it.

I’ve had a good look at hunting for any mention of this as an issue
within
this mailing list, and nothing.
(Same also within the Ettus mailing lists as well.)

No results for anyone having similar issues found via a generic Web
Search
either.

Quick summary, here at my end -

Hardware:
Gigabyte GA-G31M-S2L Motherboard
Core2Quad Q8200 with 4GB of DDR2 RAM
Using onboard Intel G33 GMA 3100 Graphics Chipset - (Is this the issue?)
Ettus R. B200 connected via USB2 - (for the moment)

Software:
Fresh install of Ubuntu 14.04.2 LTS - (latest available as of three days
ago)
Have allowed Ubuntu to fully self-update to its own satisfaction
apt-get update then upgrade
apt-get install python-scipy
then PyBOMBS installation of GNU Radio as per above.

Thanks in advance - (and thanks especially for tolerating my
Ubuntu-N00bness!)

Random

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2

The default generation option in the Options Block is now “QtGUI”, so if
you’re building a wxGUI flow-graph you’ll have to change that to wxGUI.

On 2015-04-16 09:23, Random01 wrote:

So, embarked on a brand new journey with a freshly minted Ubuntu 14.04.2LTS
PyBOMBS to get it done - (following to the letter the instructions as

target/setup_env.sh’
Block - wxgui_fftsink2_0 - WX GUI FFT Sink(wxgui_fftsink2):

ago)

View this message in context:
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[2]
Sent from the GnuRadio mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

Discuss-gnuradio mailing list
[email protected]
Discuss-gnuradio Info Page [3]

Links:

3

Well, there it is then - it’s official - permanently archived forever,
for
the world to see - I am an idiot.

(You’ll have to forgive me though, I have never ever - not even once -
peered into the Objects Block, as every time I’ve used GRC in the past,
all
of my Instrumentation requirements have always been based around WXGUI
Blocks and not QtGUI, and on each occasion of launching, WXGUI has been
the
default…)

So, thank you for pointing out nothing short of the bleeding obvious.
(At
least you kept your laughter behind the Keyboard, and didn’t place it in
front… Much appreciated!)

Onwards we march, into the next brick wall.

Grabbed a few quick Blocks to confirm a functioning and complete
install.
(A UHD Source Block and a WXGUI FFT.)

Placing, and then connecting them together, punching the ‘Generate the
Flowgraph’, followed immediately by the ‘Execute’ button - landed me
against
the next issue.

‘EnvironmentError: IOError: Could not find path for image:
usrp_b200_fw.hex’…
…and at the end;
‘RuntimeError: LookupError: KeyError: No devices found for ----->
Empty Device Address’…

There was a hint within the response however - a suggestion to execute a
python script found within ‘home/user/target/lib/uhd/utils/’ called,
‘uhd_images_downloader.py’

So I went and confirmed where the launch was trying to ‘find’ this hex
image
file, and sure enough - it wasn’t there! (Even the path to this
location
hadn’t been created yet…)

To be safe, I executed the .py without ‘sudo’ - and off it ran, fetched
the
necessary file, created the required path and closed.

I then rebooted, and re-attempted my simple build with just the two
Blocks
again.

This time, a new error presented;

‘UHD Error:
USB open failed: insufficient permissions.
See the application notes for your device.’

Thinking it may well be due to not executing the .py with ‘sudo’, I
promptly
deleted - in its entirety - the path created initially, and re-ran the
.py
under ‘sudo’.

Outcome was identical - still no joy, same reported error;

‘UHD Error:
USB open failed: insufficient permissions.
See the application notes for your device.’

Had yet another good hunt about the place - both here and within the
Ettus
Mailing L…
Only found two hits, and from what I could understand - not relevant to
this
issue at hand.

Some extra info;
Running GNU C++ v4.8.2
Boost_105400
UHD_003.008.003-137-g2f760ac0

Again, much appreciated - the assistance from you all provided thus
far…

Random

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4

On 04/16/2015 09:54 PM, Random01 wrote:

Some extra info;
Running GNU C++ v4.8.2
Boost_105400
UHD_003.008.003-137-g2f760ac0

Again, much appreciated - the assistance from you all provided thus far…

Random

On Linux, access to USB devices by ordinary users isn’t automatically
granted.

There’s supposed to be a rules file installed in
/etc/udev/rules.d/10-usrp.rules

I don’t know how the UHD installer in Pybombs copes with this, since
there’s no way to conveniently have this user-managed, in your own home
directory…

5

On Linux, access to USB devices by ordinary users isn’t automatically granted.

There’s supposed to be a rules file installed in /etc/udev/rules.d/10-usrp.rules

I don’t know how the UHD installer in Pybombs copes with this, since there’s no
way to conveniently have this user-managed, in your own home
directory…

Random,

In your src directory under pybombs, look for
uhd/host/utils/uhd-usrp.rules and copy that to the location Marcus
mentioned. Here are some of the setup commands from Ettus’s
documentation.

(USRP Hardware Driver and USRP Manual: Transport Notes
http://files.ettus.com/manual/page_transport.html)

cd /lib/uhd/utils
sudo cp uhd-usrp.rules /etc/udev/rules.d/
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm trigger

  • Seth
6

Marcus / Seth,

Thanks to you both, for your prompt replies.

Marcus, you were bang on the money - There was no ‘10-usrp.rules’ file
located within the path you had annotated, and -
Seth, yes, the correct file you nominated was indeed where you said it
would
be, and once copied across to the location you had indicated, (along
with
the additional udevadm requirements), we are now - finally - fully
cooking
with gas.

I thank you both for taking into consideration my ‘three-blind-mice’
capabilities, regarding Linux.

(The issues you have both helped me to resolve, do they need to be
brought
to the attention of those over in the PyBOMBS camp?)

On another front - the only reason I ran down the PyBOMBS path in the
first
place, is that I was lead to believe that this is the only, (almost),
hassle-free way of installing GNU Radio/GRC along with the UHD Drivers
on
Linux.

Is this true? Is there a better way of installing GNU Radio that will
allow
me to use my B200 more efficiently and effectively than this?

After all, the machine I’ve moved across to, will be strictly a GNU
Radio/GRC development box only - nothing else. So, obviously, I just
want
it to scream at this task as loud, hard and fast as it can.

I intend to expand this animal out to include using my RTL-SDR dongle as
well, along with maybe having a play around with OpenBTS/LTE, and
potentially push into OP25 at some point as well…

Is PyBOMBS the best way to incrementally achieve this?
Or is there a more efficient and effective way to go about this
outright?

(Especially when considering the ongoing issue of updates across the
various
packages…)

The reason I ask, is that I thought apt-get was supposed to make all of
this
happen, more-or-less, in a hassle free manner.

It wasn’t until after finding out the hard way - that you just can’t
apt-get
install GNU Radio, and then apt-get install the UHD Drivers, and expect
this
to work.
(Well, this is what I first tried and then later read anyway - if this
is
not the case, I would love to hear otherwise, as I’m more confident with
apt-get install/update/upgrade, than I am with using PyBOMBS.)

After all, how did all of you manage to install GNU Radio and the UHD
Drivers on Linux, before PyBOMBS came along anyway?

But again, happy to take all of this under advisement - if PyBOMBS is
the
way to go, happy to hear that as well…

Many thanks for your support and advice so far.

Random.

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7

On 04/17/2015 11:50 PM, Random01 wrote:

Linux.
potentially push into OP25 at some point as well…

But again, happy to take all of this under advisement - if PyBOMBS is the
View this message in context:
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Discuss-gnuradio mailing list
[email protected]
Discuss-gnuradio Info Page
In the best of all possible worlds, your Linux-distrib-of-choice would
already have bundled Gnu Radio + Friends at a sufficiently recent
release level to
be relevant, and you’d just use whatever your distribs tools are for
installing software from their repositories of pre-packaged
wonderfulness, and
you’d never need tools like build-gnuradio or PyBombs.

But the reality is that for many distribs, their packaged versions of
Gnu Radio + Friends are months to years out of date. The Gnu Radio
project
has little-to-no control over that. So, build/install from source
is the way to do it.

8

In addition to what Marcus said, pybombs can install a lot of the
out-of-tree modules for GNU Radio. Check out the new CGRAN website:
www.cgran.org/index.html http://www.cgran.org/index.html.

Right now, pybombs is probably the best way to install the latest
version. We also are working on a new version of pybombs that will
hopefully support more platforms and, in general, streamline the install
process.

9

Gents,

Thanks again - to the pair of you.

I am now up-up-and-away on the Core2Quad, (running under
Ubuntu14.04.2LTS),
and although Ubuntu ain’t as cruzy boot’n’go as OS X, (especially when
it
comes to ‘keeping it fresh and updated’), the extra wallop from double
the
cores and double the RAM - certainly makes up for it!

Still running on USB2 though…

(Don’t bother with any tips concerning the whole ‘which USB3 PCIe Card
to
buy’ minefield, as I’ll do a little more research across the numerous
threads and forums first, before I come back to this playground for some
extra help.

Once again - well done, and thank you both very VERY much.

Random.

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