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Clearpath Computer Setup

The clearpath_computer_setup package offers a terminal menu tool for configuring a robot computer. The main feature of this tool is the ability to generate netplan configurations. The clearpath_computer_setup package is available on the Clearpath package server.

It should be installed on the robot's computer:

sudo apt install python3-clearpath-computer-setup

To run the tool, call:

sudo clearpath-computer-setup

Standard Clearpath Bridge​

The default networking configuration for a robot's computer is to bridge all Ethernet interfaces and assign the computer the IP address 192.168.131.1. See Standard IP Addresses for a detailed list of IP ranges.

warning

Changing or removing the default bridge configuration may result in your robot no longer working properly. Certain components inside the robot rely on static IP addresses in the 192.168.131.0/24 subnet.

To configure the default bridge:

  1. Run sudo clearpath-computer-setup
  2. Navigate to Netplan Setup -> Pre-set Configurations.
  3. Select Standard Clearpath Bridge and generate the configuration by following the instructions.
  4. Return to the Netplan Setup menu and select Apply Configuration Changes.

This will create a /etc/netplan/50-clearpath-standard.yaml file and apply the changes to netplan.

Once the network settings have been applied, call ip a to check that the network bridge has been created, and that the computer has been assigned the 192.168.131.1 IP address.

Connecting to an Existing Wi-Fi Network​

Use the clearpath-computer-setup tool to connect your robot to your existing wireless network.

  1. Run sudo clearpath-computer-setup
  2. Navigate to Netplan Setup
  3. Navigate to WiFi Setup
  4. Select the wireless interface you wish to configure. Most computers will only have one wireless interface, but some may have more than one.
  5. Enter the SSID and password for your wireless network.
  6. Select Save Settings and press ENTER.

Custom Networking​

The clearpath-computer-setup tool can also be used to set up custom network interfaces.

  1. Navigate to the Netplan Setup menu and use the bridge, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi setup menus to add configurations.
  2. Once you are done configuring, return to the Netplan Setup menu and select Write Configuration YAML. You will be prompted for a file name. The file should be placed under /etc/netplan/ to take effect, and the naming convention is a two digit number followed by a unique name. For example, /etc/netplan/50-home-wifi.yaml.
note

By convention, all Netplan configuration files should be prefixed with two numbers indicating the order in which the file should be read. Files are read in alphanumeric order, with 00- prefixes first and 99- prefixes last.

If multiple files define the same configuration, the last-read file will override the earlier definitions.

Once all files have been processed the result is amalgamated to create the system's Netplan confguration.

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