L4T Ubuntu
​

Intro
L4T Ubuntu is a version of Linux based on nvidia's linux for tegra project. It uses a different kernel compared to previous releases which allows it to use features not yet in mainline. Such as audio, docking support and vulkan.

Join our discord: https://discord.gg/53mtKYt

We have a wiki !
To facilitate our work we will only update our wiki from now on in order to avoid multiple outdated references, please refer to the following link instead of this page
https://wiki.switchroot.org/en/Linux/Ubuntu-Install-Guide

Credits
Bylaws,
Langerhans,
Ave,
Natinusala,
CTCaer(most of the hard stuff),
Gavin_Darkglider,
DanielOgorchock(Joycon drivers/joycond),
stary2001 (reboot2payload),
NVIDIA,
Azkali
Everyone else in switchroot - more info on that in the future.

 

[Silent_Gunner]

Yeah I have a bad time with the touch screen as well, to access the bluetooth settings from the top bar you need to press a bit above the screen, at least for me. What you can also do is lock the bluetooth settings to the side bar, this way they are way easier to access with the touch screen, and from there you can pair your joycons and then use them as a mouse. (For whatever reason I almost always need to repair my joycons when I reboot Ubuntu.)
Ho and I don't think you need to do the initial setup before installing the updates.

I saw some people tried using a M/KB with the USB port in the dock. I'm gonna give that a go next. I'm just setting up my SD card for this right now so that, when I put it on my TV and hopefully my devices work (what with this being Linux and all), I can do everything, terminal or not, on there.

 

[M7L7NK7]

I was using joycons as the mouse and touch screen keyboard, now I'm using usb keyboard and mouse in the dock and it;s amazing

 

[stick267]

Yeah I have a bad time with the touch screen as well, to access the bluetooth settings from the top bar you need to press a bit above the screen, at least for me. What you can also do is lock the bluetooth settings to the side bar, this way they are way easier to access with the touch screen, and from there you can pair your joycons and then use them as a mouse. (For whatever reason I almost always need to repair my joycons when I reboot Ubuntu.)
Ho and I don't think you need to do the initial setup before installing the updates.

If you reboot into Horizon (stock Switch OS) after Ubuntu, your Joycons automatically get paired. So then when you reboot back into Ubuntu, you'll have to re-pair because your Joycons only "remember" one connection. If you don't boot back into Horizon, I've found that pressing buttons on the Joycons while Ubuntu is loading sometimes auto-pairs them. But it's hit or miss.

I saw some people tried using a M/KB with the USB port in the dock. I'm gonna give that a go next. I'm just setting up my SD card for this right now so that, when I put it on my TV and hopefully my devices work (what with this being Linux and all), I can do everything, terminal or not, on there.

Keyboard/mouse with regular USB work perfectly while connected to the dock. I've found that if you're trying to pair your Joycons while using the touch screen it's better to go into the Bluetooth settings and delete/completely re-pair them. Trying to hit the "ON" toggle from the Bluetooth quick menu with touch is impossible.

 

[domiNATE7]

I was wondering, Iis the screen supposed to be sideways? When I boot the Payload, the setup is sideways, and the onscreen keyboard won't pop up... Is there any way to fix this?

 

[Deathscreton]

I was wondering, Iis the screen supposed to be sideways? When I boot the Payload, the setup is sideways, and the onscreen keyboard won't pop up... Is there any way to fix this?

Are you booting into Unity or another DE?

Yeah I have a bad time with the touch screen as well, to access the bluetooth settings from the top bar you need to press a bit above the screen, at least for me. What you can also do is lock the bluetooth settings to the side bar, this way they are way easier to access with the touch screen, and from there you can pair your joycons and then use them as a mouse. (For whatever reason I almost always need to repair my joycons when I reboot Ubuntu.)
Ho and I don't think you need to do the initial setup before installing the updates.

I get that too. Everytime I reboot Ubuntu, I have to re-pair them as well. Only happens with the joycon. My bluetooth mouse reconnects with no issues.

 

[ZeroFX]

I do not use physical keyboard. I use the digital keyboard and it does not have the windows key.

You can enable full or compact keyboards on the virtual keyboard config. Then you'll have the super key.

 

[domiNATE7]

Idk, I just boot from hekate, and I can't even complete the setup... Any tips?

I have no idea what to do...

 

[megamanxx]

You can use a wireless keyboard an mouse with a dongle

Does this only work by connecting the dongle directly to the Switch or also work by connecting the dongle to any USB port of the Dock?

Thanks.

 

[domiNATE7]

Are you booting into Unity or another DE?

Sorry but, I have no idea what you mean, pretty new to the switch hacking scene, but I know my stuff, but why is the screen sideways? Idk what to do

 

[Deathscreton]

Sorry but, I have no idea what you mean, pretty new to the switch hacking scene, but I know my stuff, but why is the screen sideways? Idk what to do

Unity is the name of the Ubuntu desktop environment (DE). If you're talking about during the setup phase (after you first burn the image to the SD card), then that happened to me as well. Just continue setting it up and eventually, it'll straighten itself out.

 

[domiNATE7]

Unity is the name of the Ubuntu desktop environment (DE). If you're talking about during the setup phase (after you first burn the image to the SD card), then that happened to me as well. Just continue setting it up and eventually, it'll straighten itself out.

Yeah I tried, but i guess I need to get a USB keyboard then, since the onscreen keyboard just won't pop up. I'll look into it, thanks!

 

[Deathscreton]

Are there any other performance tricks I can apply to the Switch (i've done the 2.0GHz overclock (though I don't think that's permanent and may need to be done everytime I boot), the SWAP file for 2gigs, and nothing else performance wise)? Often, Ubuntu will either stop opening applications, lock a core to 100% or just not respond to clicks (not frozen as my BT mouse can still click, move, explore, etc.). Sometimes, the touch screen will cease to function and I have to use my mouse, during this, applications will flash liek they're trying to open, but then just won't. If I look in the System Monitor, I'll see them sitting there not doing any work.

 

[FAST6191]

You can set various priorities on things. As far as swap goes then there is a command called swappiness that determines how often the swap is used/has things chucked to it. https://www.howtoforge.com/tutorial/linux-swappiness/ . These days most people optimise it to reduce writes to their SSD but play it as you will.

You might also see about lower powered desktop environment (XFCE is still pretty full featured, though there are even more stripped out ones like LXDE), though looking at these last few pages it seems people are having trouble with some of those.

Beyond that you might have to get back to more aggressive computer management yourself -- actually closing things down and all that rather than just minimising if you have got used to that in recent years.

 

[stick267]

I’ve seen a few people say that the cinnamon desktop environment is less demanding. I haven’t used it myself though.

 

[Csmrcc]

hi guys, some caritative soul would be so kind as to share (maybe via PM) their lakka folders?
as it seem that for the people who cant make it work right seems the only solution
thank you

 

[Liv2MsTrb8T]

You might also see about lower powered desktop environment (XFCE is still pretty full featured, though there are even more stripped out ones like LXDE), though looking at these last few pages it seems people are having trouble with some of those.

XFCE/LXDE are lovely.
LXDE has the quickest boot. (instant for me)

Both of them have issues rotating the touch coordinates to match the screen making it really annoying to use.

 

[Deathscreton]

I've used XFCE, but I can't seem to configure bluetooth with that DE (joycons disconnect on reboot) as the DE doesn't seem to feature a program to do so. I haven't found an application to replace it yet.

OFFTOPIC: How do I enable USB Mass Storage? I've been trying to find an easy way to move items besides using FTP and I saw that L4T Ubuntu actually had USB enabled in 1.1 (I'm on 1.2 atm, I also tried Linux File System for Windows by Paragon, but any files I move to the SD card vanish when I boot up Ubuntu, not sure what's going on there.).

 

[Silent_Gunner]

OK, so I've been struggling to get my games onto a separate spare SD card I got for Ubuntu on the Switch. I tried plugging it in via a hub connected to the USB-A port on the Switch dock, doesn't detect my flash drive. I'm trying an OTG adapter right now, and that doesn't work!

This wouldn't be such a problem if you could just copy the files onto the partition of the micro SD card for Ubuntu that you use for storage, but every time I did that, it just reverted to whatever was on the partition while it was on Ubuntu. Like, if I create a "roms" folder in the RetroArch installation while in Ubuntu, it's A-OK and will remain there. If I do that on my main Windows 10 PC, and then try it on Ubuntu, it's like I never copied anything to the partition in the first place. I wasted so much time trying to copy so much onto an SD card only to find out that it was rendered null and void just because I didn't do it on Ubuntu on my Switch!

EDIT: I don't know what the fuck I did differently, but I just went to dock the Switch twice because the graphics got all fuzzy (like it wasn't being output at the right resolution?) and suddenly, lo and behold, it detects my flash drive!

 

[BlackTSQ]

Does this only work by connecting the dongle directly to the Switch or also work by connecting the dongle to any USB port of the Dock?

Thanks.

Should work fine when connected to the dock

 

[Silent_Gunner]

Alright, I got everything updated, upgraded, some games transferred (not everything I'd like to test, but what I have will do for now), and my Joy-Cons are paired...but it seems like it isn't detected by RA or Ubuntu itself if what I've heard about the Joy-Cons controlling the mouse is any indication. I know RA, upon loading it up, has some error message I can't quite read entirely because it disappears too quickly for me to maximize the window, but it was something like, "Joy-Cons aren't connected," from what I saw and could make an educated guess about what it's saying. Is anyone else having this problem? I know I'm late to the L4T train, but this thing came out at a time when I was busy. (still am, but it's not "college finals and trying to avoid Endgame spoilers busy") Not even pushing the buttons while the Joy-Cons are attached in portable mode will keep the screen from falling asleep.