Setting Up your Workspace
"Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect."
~ Alan Cohen
This tutorial sets you up with the basics, after which you can get started working and experimenting with the Rover.
Elias Groot
Software Lead, Course Organizer
Entering the ASE Labs
Unless different arrangements have been made, work on the Rover should be done at the ASE labs in the WN building. Our labs consist of two adjacent rooms: KA-223 and KA-224. You always need to enter the labs through KA-224 (the small room), but this room is reserved for course organizers and educators, so make sure to use the door that connects the two rooms and find a seat in KA-223. When you leave, make sure that the door of KA-223 is locked from the inside and leave through the small room again.
Opening Times and Bringing Friends
Every participant will get a keycard with access permissions to the labs and the main entrance of the WN building. Your access is valid on weekdays, from 8:00 until 22:00 and in weekends, from 8:00 until 19:00. You cannot exit the main entrance after opening times, so make sure to leave well in time to avoid having to call the security desk.
Access is granted to you personally and since you are sharing a co-working space, we ask you to not bring any non-participants into the labs.
Connecting to the Network
We have set up a dedicated access point with a custom DHCP configuration and WiFi 6E support in our labs. To connect, use the following credentials:
SSID: aselabs
Password: tilth-noose-mediocre-cascara
You are prohibited from plugging in Ethernet cables directly into the router or modifying router network settings as this might hinder other network users in their research. If you are experiencing connectivity issues, please ask an ASE team member for help.
Using Tools and Utilities
All utilities, including track pieces, in the large room (KA-223) are to be freely used and shared by students. Make sure to organize the tools you use in such a way that others can find them back too.
Do not take or use tools from the educator lab/KA-224 (the small room) without asking an ASE team member. We are happy to accommodate custom needs so just get in touch during the office hours or send us an email.
Preparing your Digital Workspace
Throughout ASE, we assume that you are running a native Linux or macOS installation on your device. Ubuntu is recommended but not required. We unfortunately cannot provide support for problems that arise on other systems, including Windows, WSL or VM installations. We recommend a dual-boot setup if you want to preserve other OS installations.
Installing roverctl
One of the most important tools in your digital toolkit will be roverctl, especially during your initial framework explorations. Make sure to follow our installation guide for your platform and verify that the tool is installed by running roverctl info in your shell of choice.
Installing Docker
Though not a strict requirement, installing Docker will make using our framework tools and Devcontainers a lot more pleasant. Installing just the Docker engine and Docker compose tool is enough, but installing the full Docker desktop suite is often easier. You can find the install guide for all platforms here.
Do not forget to follow the post install guide for Linux to avoid a lot of permission denied errors.
Setting up VS Code
Again, not a strict requirement but rather a (very) pleasant enhancement: using VS Code allows the ASE team to help you better. We know that this is a very sensitive topic to some, but if you decide to make the switch we also recommend installing the Dev Containers plugin so that you can use many of our Dockerfiles and configurations.
That is all.