Interfacing the Debix

While the Debix has the ability to be used as a desktop computer, the supported (and recommended) way of interfacing with it is in headless mode, through the command line. Thus we have two different ways of getting a shell onto the Debix.

Connecting over SSH

Network connection required

To connect over SSH, you need to be connected to the ASE labs WiFi network. Read how to connect here.

You will be able to connect to the Debix through the following IP address convention. Each Debix is assigned the following IP address 192.169.0.[100 + ROVER_NUMBER] where ROVER_NUMBER is the number that the rover is labeled with. For example, Rover 05 will have the IP address 192.169.0.105.

Finding your Rover number

You can find your Rover number by looking at the top of the camera pole. You can also find it by looking at the sticker on the PDB and back of the Rover.

Given that the Debix has booted (indicated by small flashing LED on the Debix itself), then the Debix can be connected to via the following SSH command:

ssh debix@[Debix IP]

The username and password are both debix. For convenience, we recommend adding the following to your ~/.ssh/config.

Host myrover
    Hostname [Debix IP]
    User debix

Which allows you to simply connect with

ssh myrover

To test whether the Debix has connected to the network one can always try ping [Debix IP].

Connecting over USB

Another way of connecting to the Debix is through the FTDI-cable. One advantage over the SSH connection, is that you get to see the messages of the linux kernel while it's booting. This is useful for debugging if the Debix does not connect to the network. Simply plug the USB end into your laptop and the 3.5mm headphone jack into the left side of the rover. Then, inside the Docker container run the following command and login with username and password.

picocom -b 115200 /dev/ttyUSB0