Tutorial  Updated

L4T Ubuntu Install guide

l4t.png
This will be yet another simple guide on how to install L4T on your Switch. In case you didn't know, L4T Ubuntu is a Linux distro running a custom kernel optimized for NVIDIA Tegra devices, hereby making audio support possible without having to attach external peripherals to your Switch! You can read its full list of features here. Now you may ask, why L4T over the other Linux distributions? Well, simply because it is the most recent, relevant & maintained build, includes the previously mentioned audio support and setting it up is relatively easy (and needless to say, the older Linux distributions for the Switch are obsolete at this point). Some users out there stumbled upon difficulties in getting this to work, so in order to keep the forum clean of any unnecessary and frequent questions, people struggling with it can read through this tutorial and find their solution to their problem.(hope this will help users refraining from flooding the entire Switch Hacking section with new threads, should they need help to get Linux to work)

I will explain step-by-step how to install it, but before we begin:
General Warning
Carefully read through the guide, and if unsure what to do next, re-read it carefully and feel free to ask about any questions and concerns below.
Don't rush headlong into something and don't skip any of the steps.
As usual, neither I, nor its developer (or anyone else in the community) will be held liable for any damages involving your Switch and its accessories. You take full responsibility for your actions, so be civil and don't be rude to others.



What you'll need:
  • A functioning Nintendo Switch (assuming the SD card slot and the USB port work).
  • An USB Type-C - to A cable.
  • An SD card adapter (in case your PC/Laptop doesn't have a built in card reader, and/or is broken).
  • The Switch Dock (optional).
  • Any means of entering RCM (AutoRCM,jig,paperclip etc).
  • A SD card with a minimum capacity of 16 GB, but 32 GB is preferable.
  • The required L4T image file and the updates zip.
  • Hekate payload(versions 4.10.1 and latter), we will use it to chainload Linux.
  • TegraRCM GUI (used for injecting the payload onto your Switch).
  • Etcher or any other program that can write .img files to SD cards.
Before we begin, make sure you got everything in the aforementioned list prepared and ready.
Without further ado let's get in, so follow the steps below.

STEP 1:
First and foremost, if you have any important files on your microSD, you should back them up now.
Writing an image to a disk will overwrite any previous data on it, so copy everything yo wish to save before proceeding.

STEP 2:
Download the L4T image file here and extract it somewhere on your computer (the desktop would be a good place for ease of access).
Go over to this GitHub repo, and download the hekate release zip file from the assets down below.
You will need this additional L4T 1.3.1 update in order to fix some bugs present in the initial release. Last but not least, grab TegraRCM GUI from this website, (choose the .msi installer or the portable .zip, whichever best suits your needs).

STEP 3:
Now that you got all of the needed files mentioned above, it's time to flash the extracted "SD.img" image to your SD card. However, to do so, you'll need to have an app like Etcher installed. You may use any other similar app, but for simplicity's sake I am going to be using Etcher, which you can download from here. Y
Run the etcher setup.exe once it finishes downloading and you will be greeted by the initial installation window. Click the "I Agree" button and wait until it does its thing.
etcher instsllation.png

Etcher should automatically open after it's done installing; if not, simply launch it by double-clicking its icon on the Desktop.
Now click on the big, blue, rectangular "Select Image" button as shown, then browse to the directory where you have stored your .img file and select it.
blue ractangulat.png

By default, Etcher will detect your SD card automatically. However, if you have more than just one inserted and you want to be sure to not flash it on the wrong drive, simply click "Change" and choose whichever SD card you want to flash it to.
Click on "Flash" and wait. Do not touch your SD card and/or adapter during this process because you might accidentally disconnect it, thus interrupting the process.
It may take some time for it to flash & verify, so please be patient.
flash.png

After it's done flashing, it's time to extract the v1.2 update to its respective partition. (Do not format your SD card if windows prompts you to do so).
Etcher will split your SD card in two partitions:
usb partitions.png

Click on the FAT partition and delete the 'boot' folder and 'boot.src' files, as they will conflict with the update data.
You must extract the "bootloader" and the "l4t-ubuntu" folders, overriding any existing files if prompted to do so.

STEP 4:
Installing TegraRCM GUI :
TegraRCM is really easy and straightforward to set up; you just install the .msi version or the portable version.
Both work fine, however you need to install the libUSBK driver before you can inject a payload to your Switch.
First, get into RCM on your console. If you don't know how to do that, look up one of the many available guides on this website.
Launch TegraRCM GUI, then click on the "Settings" tab and, after that, click on the "Install Driver" button as shown below:

rcm driver.png

After a successful installation, a pop may show up, asking you to restart your PC.
Do so and your TegraRCM should be ready to inject payloads.

STEP 5:
Eject your SD card from your PC and put it back in your Switch.
Connect the console to your PC and, while in RCM, push the "hekate 4.10.1.bin" payload onto it. In case you didn't know, you can select a payload by clicking on the tiny folder icon, then browse to your destination where you saved your payloads. Select your "hekate 4.10.1.bin" payload and hit "Inject Payload".
On to the switch.
After injecting hekate, the bootloader's menu should pop up.
Choose Launch > More Configs > L4T.
IMG_20190510_203052.jpg
IMG_20190510_203127.jpg

Choose L4T and wait. During the initial setup it'll take about 2-5 minutes to bring up the terms and agreements window, so don't panic: be patient and stand still.
You should not dock your switch at this point or it might cause problems later on.
Subsequental boots will be swifter, so don't worry about that.
Now you'll have to go through the inital setup: tick the "I accept the terms of these licenses" and click on "continue". Choose your desired language, time zone and you may also optionally connect to a WI-Fi network.
Then you'll have to fill in your user credentials (username and password).
After you've set everything up, the system will install its prerequisites, which shouldn't take long.
Once all of the needed files are extracted and you are brought to the user login screen, it is suggested that you power off your Switch (hold the power button for 10 seconds to do so).
Inject Hekate and boot up L4T again.
This time however it is fine (and advisable) to have your Switch docked. Having the addition of a keyboard and mouse can be quite a convenience. You can connect them via USB using the Dock's ports.

STEP: 6
Now we should resize the system's partition using the available free space.
Press the Windows key on your keyboard and search for "Disks" (without quotes of course).
Load up the disks app and highlight the second orange square and click on it.
Click on the small wrench icon and then on "Resize...", which will pop up another window, From now on, you can select how much available free space you want to allocate to that partition by sliding it with your mouse.
IMG_20190510_212007.jpg
IMG_20190510_212027.jpg




And that's pretty much it guys. You now have Linux running on your Switch.
Though, keep in mind that Vulkan is buggy and joycons attached to the tablet don't work.
I would recommend you to run this in docked mode for an optimal experience and increased performance.
Check out this guide on how to install applications on it.

Updated guide on June 15th 2019 to add the additional 1.3.1 bug fix update.
Full 1.3.1 update change log


    • Changelog:
    • 1.3
    • Enabled all iptables and bridge stuff in kernel.
    • Added SLEEP support (press power button), note the device may randomly wake up and log out if sleep is activated while logged i n, if this happens to you please ssh in and upload the contents of /var/log/syslog .
 
Last edited by NoNAND,

tabzer

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gee so glad it didnt format my sd card and i totally have all my switch content:glare:

(i backed up last week anyway) but a warning would still be nice.


Step 1: Writing an image to a disk will overwrite any previous data on it, so copy everything yo wish to save before proceeding.

specifically etcher did NOT warn me, i dont use etcher for imaging but all it said was it would partition the sd

You have to click "flash" to flash an image to the SD card. If you don't know what that means then you should have greater priorities than blowing through these steps, only doing the parts you understand. This guide was written for people like you in mind, but somehow you remain overestimated. Some people cannot be helped, I suppose.
 

xdarkmario

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Capture.PNG (very hard for me to see btw)
Condescension aside, can ubuntu and switch OS co exist? or no? i tried writing a script to re direct ext4 to the back of the partition table seeing how windows can only see the primary partition on a non dynamic disk but switch dosent support dynamic disk so im at a loss
 

tabzer

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gee so glad it didnt format my sd card and i totally have all my switch content:glare:

You want to to talk about condescension? I was showing you how to do it properly, instead of having to be a moron to pull it off. Fix your browsing situation btw. That's on you if you can't read the guide you are trying to follow.


Untitled.png



As for dual booting, you should be able to extend the first partition, and use for your Switch. It should be obvious, but don't delete the any files that were put there via L4T installation process. You will need to resize the partition using an application, with both partitions un-mountable.
 
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View attachment 167579 (very hard for me to see btw)
Condescension aside, can ubuntu and switch OS co exist? or no? i tried writing a script to re direct ext4 to the back of the partition table seeing how windows can only see the primary partition on a non dynamic disk but switch dosent support dynamic disk so im at a loss
If you don't know how to use etcher
Then you should not mess with linux at all
 

domiNATE7

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Hi there! I'm pretty new to GBAtemp. I wanted to get GC games running, but on step 5 I believe, the screen pops up sideways.
I followed all the instructions up to this point, but the onscreen keyboard won't pop up to type in my info. It's really weird and IDK if I did anything wrong. I can boot into L4T, but not finish the setup because of the screen orientation during it. I would really appreciate it if I could have some help.

"Now you'll have to go through the inital setup: tick the "I accept the terms of these licenses" and click on "continue". Choose your desired language, time zone and you may also optionally connect to a WI-Fi network.
Then you'll have to fill in your user credentials (username and password)."
 

tabzer

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How you are holding it when it boots has an impact, I believe. I used a dock and usb mouse/keyboard to finish my setup.
 

domiNATE7

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How you are holding it when it boots has an impact, I believe. I used a dock and usb mouse/keyboard to finish my setup.
Ah, I thought that might work, but even holding it landscape didn't work. All the guides say not to dock it during setup...
Just to clarify, the screen is sideways, imagine looking at your PC screen and everything is flipped 90 degrees, like with the Hekate boot...
(edit)I don't have a USB keyboard, only BT
 

tabzer

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I forgot the guide mentions not to dock it. I've reinstalled L4T several different times, for experimentation. Sometimes I would have it do that with the screen orientation, and sometimes I would not. If you can't navigate through the setup, then maybe it's more convenient to reflash your card.

Idk what averse effect, if any, finishing setup docked may have. I just got annoyed with the on-screen keyboard that I didn't think too much about it. Now I'm paranoid, lol.
 

lordelan

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Pretty good guide.
Would be cool if you could add steps for people who don't want to reflash their SD cards but resize their FAT32 parition instead to create the L4T partition manually so there's no need to copy everything from the SD to the computer and back to the card (which takes very long for big cards). :)
 

tabzer

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I used disk genius to resize my main partition, create a new 2nd partition at the end, then I just cloned ext4 partition of the image to the new created partition. I copied the boot files to my main switch partition, which doesn't bring conflict to anything that's already there. I backed up my nintendo directory before doing all that, just in case, but it works well. I'm currently able to boot between atmosphere, l4t and lakka.
 
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