Installation

Install Wandelbots NOVA

Installing Wandelbots NOVA means to commission and prepare the physical robot environment, to set up the selected instance and to install the Wandelbots NOVA core apps on an instance type of your choice.

Account & license

In order to access cloud instances with pre-installed Wandelbots NOVA, or to download the Wandelbots NOVA image, you need a Wandelbots NOVA account.

Create an account in the Developer Portal (opens in a new tab) and log in.

Licenses are necessary to use Wandelbots NOVA. Without a license, you will still be able to install and access Wandelbots NOVA, but won't be able to use virtual robot controllers or connect your robots to Wandelbots NOVA.

Contact the Wandelbots Customer Success team via our website (opens in a new tab) and get a license tailored to your needs.

Instance types

Depending on whether you want to use Wandelbots NOVA in a productive environment, different instance types are recommended.

Cloud instances are suited to give Wandelbots NOVA a try and to develop robotic applications.

Use cloud instance

Virtual machines are suited to test your robotic cell and simulate.

Use virtual machine (VM)

Bare-metal (IPC)s are suited to use Wandelbots NOVA in production lines.

Use bare-metal (IPC)

Cloud instance

Once logged in to your Wandelbots NOVA account in the Developer Portal, navigate to the Cloud instances tab.

  1. Create a cloud instance with pre-installed Wandelbots NOVA.
  2. Once the instance is running, click Open. The Wandelbots NOVA home screen opens in a new tab.

You're ready to set up virtual controllers in Setup!

Set up virtual controller

Virtual machine (VM)

Minimum system requirements

  • CPU: 2 cores (x86_64)
  • RAM: 8 GB (no dynamic memory)
  • Storage: 50 GB of free disk space on the virtual hard disk (/var/lib/rancher)
  • Network configured via DHCP
  • Internet access
  • Real-time kernel (only required for usage with KUKA robots, or high frequency PROFINET)

Wandelbots NOVA is not compatible with ARM processors. Third-party virtualization software (e.g., VirtualBox) is not recommended.

Download NOVA image

Once logged in to your Wandelbots NOVA account in the Developer Portal, navigate to the Downloads tab.

  1. Download the Wandelbots NOVA image. You'll see an "Activate device" button within the download panel. This will be used later to connect the device to your Wandelbots NOVA account and license.

Create VM with NOVA image

  1. Open the virtualization software native to your operating system.
  2. Create a new virtual machine and mount the Wandelbots NOVA image file as a virtual disk.
  3. Start the virtual machine.
  4. Select "Install Wandelbots NOVA" from the boot menu.

Installation of AlmaLinux

The operating system required for Wandelbots NOVA, AlmaLinux, will be installed first. The unattended installation can take up to 15 minutes.

A reboot will occur automatically once installation is complete.

Save the user credentials & IP address

After installation, the instance's name, IP address, and default user credentials are displayed.
Keep this information at hand.

Install Wandelbots NOVA

  1. Log in with the default user credentials.
    You're then prompted to set a new password.

    In case you forget your password, contact Wandelbots GmbH Customer Success. For password retrievals of physical instances, Customer Success has to be on site.

  2. Set a new password and keep the new user credentials at hand.
    You're prompted to confirm the installation start.

  3. Confirm the installation preparation with Y and Enter.
    You're now prompted to activate NOVA on the device.

  4. Use the aforementioned Activate device button in the Downloads tab in the Developer Portal. The activation website opens and you're prompted to enter a code.

  5. Enter the code displayed in the installation dialogue. It might be necessary to log in to your account in the Developer Portal again.

  6. In the installation dialogue, start the installation with Enter.
    The installation process starts and can take up to 10 minutes.
    If you're planning to connect a KUKA controller, please proceed with installing a real-time kernel.
    After the installation is completed, a link to the Wandelbots NOVA home screen of your instance is displayed.

  7. Open your instance's home screen.

Congrats! You have successfully installed Wandelbots NOVA. 🎉

You're ready to set up virtual controllers in Setup.

Set up virtual controller

Bare-metal (IPC)

For exemplary purposes, these installation instructions contain information that is specific to a Kontron (opens in a new tab) IPC. If you're using different hardware, please refer to the documentation of your hardware manufacturer.

Minimum system requirements

  • CPU: 2 cores (x86_64)
  • RAM: 8 GB (no dynamic memory)
  • Storage: 50 GB of free disk space on the virtual hard disk (/var/lib/rancher)
  • Network configured via DHCP
  • Internet access
  • Real-time kernel (only required for usage with KUKA robots, or high frequency PROFINET)

Additional material required

Have ready:

  • USB flash drive with 4 GB free space
  • USB keyboard
  • USB mouse
  • Display with DisplayPort cable

Ensure the instance is connected to the internet, e.g. LAN-3 port for Kontron IPC.

All additional material is only required for the installation process and can be removed after the installation is completed.

Download Wandelbots NOVA image

Once logged in to your Wandelbots NOVA account in the Developer Portal, navigate to the Downloads tab.

  1. Download the Wandelbots NOVA image. You'll see an "Activate device" button within the download panel. This will be used later to connect the device to your Wandelbots NOVA account and license.

Load Wandelbots NOVA image onto USB

  1. Use image writing software to write the image onto a USB flash drive.
  2. Plug the USB flash drive into the IPC.
  3. Connect to power, display, keyboard, and mouse.
  4. Open the boot menu, e.g. by pressing F12, and select the USB flash drive (UEFI).
  5. Select Install Wandelbots NOVA to begin.

Installation of AlmaLinux

The operating system required for Wandelbots NOVA, AlmaLinux, will be installed first. The unattended installation can take up to 15 minutes.

A reboot will occur automatically once installation is complete.

Save the user credentials & IP address

After installation, the instance's name, IP address, and default user credentials are displayed.
Keep this information at hand.

Install Wandelbots NOVA

  1. Log in with the default user credentials.
    You're then prompted to set a new password.

    In case you forget your password, contact Wandelbots GmbH Customer Success. For password retrievals of physical instances, Customer Success has to be on site.

  2. Set a new password and keep the new user credentials at hand.
    You're prompted to confirm the installation start.

  3. Confirm the installation preparation with Y and Enter.
    You're now prompted to activate NOVA on the device.

  4. Use the aforementioned Activate device button in the Downloads tab in the Developer Portal. The activation website opens and you're prompted to enter a code.

  5. Enter the code displayed in the installation dialogue. It might be necessary to sign in to your account in the Developer Portal again.

  6. In the installation dialogue, start the installation with Enter.
    The installation process starts and can take up to 10 minutes.
    If you're planning to connect a KUKA controller, please proceed with installing a real-time kernel.
    After the installation is completed, a link to the Wandelbots NOVA home screen of your instance is displayed.

  7. Open your instance's home screen.
    To access the instance from a different computer, use the same IP address.

Congrats! You have successfully installed Wandelbots NOVA. 🎉

You're ready to connect controllers in Setup.

Connect controllers

Install real-time kernel

If you want to connect Wandelbots NOVA to a KUKA controller, or use PROFINET at a high frequency, a real-time enabled kernel is required to run your NOVA instance. The real-time kernel enables fulfilling latency and jitter requirements of KUKA robots and avoids RSI disconnects, and enables PROFINET cycle times shorter than 8 ms.

Complete these steps after the successful installation of Wandelbots NOVA.

  1. Open http://<instance's IP address>:9090 and go to Terminal.

  2. Run uname -a to verify whether the currently used kernel is real-time enabled.
    If the output contains PREEMPT_RT, +rt or -rt, the kernel is real-time enabled and you can successfully proceed with setting up a virtual controller. If not, proceed with the next step.

  3. Enable the rt repository for the Linux distribution of your instance with one of the following commands:

    Linux distributionCommand
    AlmaLinux, Rocky Linuxsudo dnf config-manager --set-enabled rt
    RHELsudo subscription-manager repos --enable=rhel-*-rt-rpms
    Oracle Linuxsudo dnf config-manager --enable ol8_UEKR8 # or newer release

  4. Install the real-time kernel with sudo dnf install kernel-rt

  5. Set the real-time kernel as the default kernel with:

    sudo grubby --info=ALL  # Note the index of the rt kernel
sudo grubby --set-default-index=0  # Or whatever is the index in your case

  6. Restart the instance with system reboot -i.

  7. After the reboot, come back to the terminal again and run uname -r to verify that the real-time kernel is now used.
    The output should contain +rt, -rt or PREEMPT_RT.

  8. Activate the network-latency profile with sudo tuned-adm profile network-latency.

Experiencing periodic network issues? This can be solved by removing the Wi-Fi driver provided that your instance is not connected to Wi-Fi. On bare-metal instances provided by Kontron, this can be done with sudo modprobe -r ath10k_pci.

Congrats! Your NOVA instance is now ready to connect to KUKA controllers, and perform high-frequency data exchange via PROFINET 🎉

Connect KUKA controllerSet up PROFINET
IntroductionIntroduction