Flashing & Updates — BSP Installation Options

NVIDIA supports three official ways to install or update the BSP on the developer kit. Pick by situation:

	💾 Start with eMMC	🛠️ SDK Manager	📜 Flash script
Short summary	Boot the pre-flashed eMMC, update with Jetson ISO	GUI tool on a host PC; flashes BSP and can install JetPack packages	flash.sh script on a host PC
Ubuntu host PC	Not required	Required	Required
Typical time	Immediate first boot; ISO update takes ~15 min	~30 min to flash	Depends on setup
Who it's for	Everyone (recommended default)	Anyone with an Ubuntu PC; needed to flash NVMe/microSD/USB or when the kit has no internet	Product developers, advanced users

Juxi note: the current release is JetPack 7.2.1 (L4T r39.2.1). If your kit is new, start with Quick Start — it walks the recommended path end to end.

Option 1 — Start with eMMC, update with Jetson ISO (recommended)

Your developer kit ships with an L4T BSP pre-flashed on eMMC and boots into the Ubuntu desktop out of the box. The recommended update path is the Jetson ISO — a bootable USB stick that updates the kit without an Ubuntu host PC.

Prerequisite: the installed BSP must be L4T r35.5 or newer (check with cat /etc/nv_tegra_release). Older kits need a host-PC method first (Option 2 or 3 below).

The full step-by-step procedure (USB creation with Balena Etcher, UEFI boot, the QSPI capsule prompt, GRUB menu, storage selection, first boot) is in Quick Start → Step 2.

Highlights from NVIDIA's documentation:

• At the GRUB menu you choose the installation target: eMMC or NVMe (recommended if you installed an SSD).
• If prompted, confirm the QSPI capsule update with Y — it is required for compatibility and runs twice. Skipping it causes installation problems (this is also listed in the L4T release notes as known issue 6266271).
• Re-installing on a system that already runs JetPack 7.2.1 is supported — follow the official instructions carefully.

Option 2 — NVIDIA SDK Manager (host PC)

Choose SDK Manager when you want to:

• flash the base L4T BSP to a different storage medium than eMMC (NVMe SSD, USB drive, or microSD card), or
• flash a kit that cannot be given a direct internet connection.

Host PC requirements (per NVIDIA's SDK Manager documentation): Ubuntu Desktop 20.04 or 22.04 on x86_64, 8 GB system memory, 25 GB free disk space, and an NVIDIA Developer Program membership (free) to download the tool and log in. Note: the L4T 39.2 release notes list the host Linux distribution for flashing as Ubuntu 24.04 and 22.04 — check NVIDIA's SDK Manager system-requirements page for the current list, as this area moves.

Install and log in:

1. Download the SDK Manager .deb package from NVIDIA and install it: sudo apt install ./sdkmanager_*-*_amd64.deb
2. Launch with sdkmanager, click the NVIDIA DEVELOPER tab, and log in.

Hardware setup and Force Recovery mode:

1. Connect the kit to the host PC with the bundled USB-A↔USB-C cable, plugged into the USB-C port next to the 40-pin header (labeled port 10 / J40).
2. While holding the middle Force Recovery button (button 2, between Power and Reset), insert the USB-C power supply into the USB-C port above the DC jack. The kit powers on in Force Recovery mode.
3. On the host, SDK Manager should detect the kit. (If not, see Troubleshooting.)

Flashing steps in SDK Manager (summary — follow the on-screen instructions):

1. Step 01: select Jetson as the product category, deselect "Host Machine", select the Jetson AGX Orin module, and continue.
2. Step 02: for a base BSP, select Jetson OS only (deselect "Jetson SDK Components"). Accept the license.
3. Step 03: enter your sudo password; wait for the download. In the flashing dialog choose "Manual Setup – Jetson AGX Orin", ignore OEM configuration, select the Storage Device to flash to, and click Flash.
4. When flashing finishes, the kit reboots into the new BSP. Complete the Ubuntu oem-config, then install JetPack components (see Quick Start → Step 3).

Option 3 — Linux_for_Tegra flash script

For advanced users and product developers: the flash.sh (or initrd flash) scripts from the Jetson Linux package flash a Jetson device from a host PC. See the Flashing Support section of the Jetson Linux Developer Guide.

Host and toolchain facts from the L4T 39.2 release notes: host Linux distribution for flashing — Ubuntu 24.04 / 22.04; cross-compilation toolchain — GCC 13.2; source release tag — jetson_39.2_GA.

Force Recovery mode — how to enter

Same procedure as above, no host required to perform it:

1. With the kit powered off and the USB-C data cable connected to a host (if you need one),
2. Hold the middle Force Recovery button, then connect the USB-C power supply — the kit starts in Force Recovery mode.

To leave recovery mode, power-cycle or reset the kit. On the host, recovery mode is typically visible as an NVIDIA USB device (lsusb).

After flashing

Verify the result: Verify Your System — version checks for L4T, CUDA, and the whole JetPack component stack.

Sources

• BSP Installation — Jetson AGX Orin Developer Kit User Guide (checked 2026-09-23)
• Quick Start — same guide (checked 2026-09-23)
• Jetson Linux 39.2.0 Release Notes (PDF) (checked 2026-09-23)
• NVIDIA SDK Manager

Status: draft, pending review by cheny. Grounded in NVIDIA's official documentation as of the date listed; not yet verified on physical hardware by Juxi Technology.

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