Software Environments
This page details the various software environments available for use in CDC, where the primary aim is to support development using GNU Radio. It describes how to access these environments outside of EDS12.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you encounter any environment related issues.
Content
FEIT GPU Desktop
The FEIT Desktop used on the lab computers in EDS12 is available to you outside of workshop through myUniApps. To access the environment:
- Open a browser and navigate to https://unimelb.cloud.com
- Login with your university credentials
- If you wish, install Citrix Workspace on your personal computer by clicking Detect Workspace, otherwise click Use web browser
- Navigate to Desktops > All Desktops
- Open a session by selecting FEIT GPU Desktop
- Login to Windows using your university credentials
Obviously, you will not be able to interface with the SDR hardware when accessing the remote desktop, but you can still perform much of your software development and debugging.
WARNING: The FEIT GPU Desktop is non-persistent – locally saved data may be lost when you log out. Make sure to save any files you wish to keep to another location, e.g., your OneDrive account.
Ubuntu VM
The main environment we will be using is an Ubuntu Linux virtual machine (VM) in which we can run GNU Radio. This option will allow stable usage of the Nuand bladeRF SDR hardware that will be the focus of the design project. Additionally, extending GNU Radio functionality through the creation and compilation of C++ signal processing blocks is straightforward under Linux.
On the FEIT GPU Desktop, the Ubuntu Linux VM can be accessed as follows.
- Start VirtualBox: Start Menu > Oracle VM VitualBox > Oracle VM VirtualBox
- Select the ELEN90089_2023 virtual machine
- Click the start button to launch the virtual machine
- Login to Ubuntu using the following credentials
username: cdc
password: sdr
To open Python or GRC, first open a bash shell by clicking on the Terminal icon
in the dock: . The Python interpreter can
then be launched at the command line.
$ python3
Similarly, GRC can be launched from the command line.
$ gnuradio-companion
MATLAB / Simulink
A support package for accessing the Nuand bladeRF has been installed should you want to access a device in MATLAB and/or Simulink. Make sure to launch MATLAB R2022b. See the following pages for documentation on how to use the bladeRF SDR in MATLAB/Simulink.
Personal Computer
The following details how to install these environments supporting GNU Radio on your personal computer.
Important Note: Please be advised installation on a personal computer is optional and you install at your own risk!
VirtualBox
The Ubuntu VM used in workshop can be run on your personal computer by installing VirtualBox. VirtualBox is a free and open-source virtualization tool supported on Windows, macOS, and Linux. To set up your computer to run the ELEN90089 Ubuntu VM:
- Download and install the latest version of VirtualBox
- To use the SDR hardware (bladeRF 2.0 or USRP B210) with your personal computer, add USB 3.0 support by installing the VirtualBox Extensions Pack
- Download the ELEN90089 environment files (Ver 1 - uploaded 14 March 2022):
ELEN90089_2022_v1.vbox (5 KB)
ELEN90089_2022_v1.vdi (18.6 GB) - Doubleclick on the
.vbox
configuration file to import the VM into VirtualBox.
Note: The
.vdi
file is large (18.6 GB!!!). Make sure you are on a good, unmetered internet connection before downloading.
The .vbox
configuration file provided has system settings based on the FEIT
lab computers. You will need to adjust these to reasonable values for you
personal computer before using.
- VirtualBox > Settings > System > Motherboards > Base Memory
- VirtualBox > Settings > System > Processor > Processor(s)
Ubuntu
If you are running Ubuntu natively on your personal computer, packages for bladeRF and GNU Radio are available in the standard Ubuntu repositories. First install the bladeRF device drivers, firmware image, and FPGA image.
$ sudo apt install bladerf bladerf-firmware-fx3 bladerf-fpga-hostedxa9
Then install the GNU Radio development package.
$ sudo apt install gnuradio-dev