Nvidia Orin NX Core Image Missing On Quay: A Kairos-io Fix

Hey Guys, What's Up with the Nvidia Orin NX Core Image on Quay?

Alright team, let's talk about something that's been causing a bit of a head-scratcher for those of us diving deep into Kairos-io on some seriously cool hardware: the Nvidia Orin NX. If you've been following the official Kairos-io documentation for installing on the Nvidia Orin NX, you might have hit a snag. Specifically, the docs point to a particular core image on Quay.io that, well, just isn't there! We're talking about quay.io/kairos/ubuntu:22.04-core-arm64-nvidia-jetson-orin-nx-master, a pretty specific image that's crucial for getting your Nvidia Orin NX up and running smoothly with Kairos-io. The Nvidia Orin NX is an absolute beast for edge AI applications, offering incredible performance in a compact form factor, making it a prime candidate for Kairos-io's immutable infrastructure approach. But, if the foundational core image isn't available, it creates a pretty significant roadblock for anyone trying to leverage this powerful combination. Imagine you've got your hardware ready, you're pumped to start building something amazing, and then bam! – the very first step, downloading the necessary operating system image, falls flat. This isn't just a minor inconvenience; it's a major blocker that prevents users from experiencing the full potential of Kairos-io on their Nvidia Orin NX devices. The Quay.io repository is a central hub for many Kairos-io images, serving as a reliable source for community and officially built images. When an expected image, especially one explicitly referenced in the official documentation, goes missing, it raises questions about the build and release pipeline. This situation can be particularly frustrating for newcomers who are just trying to get their feet wet with Kairos-io and are relying on the documentation to guide them. It's like trying to bake a cake but realizing a key ingredient is missing from the recipe's recommended pantry. We totally get that Kairos-io aims for a streamlined and efficient set of images, but for specific hardware like the Nvidia Orin NX, a dedicated and readily available core image is paramount for a smooth user experience. This isn't just about a broken link; it's about ensuring the ecosystem supports the diverse hardware needs of its users.

Diving Deeper: Understanding the Missing Quay.io Image Challenge

So, what's really going on behind the scenes with this missing Nvidia Orin NX core image? It seems like the image specifically tagged as ubuntu:22.04-core-arm64-nvidia-jetson-orin-nx-master isn't making its way from the Kairos-io build process to the public Quay.io repository. This usually points to an issue within the CI/CD pipeline, specifically the GitHub Actions workflow that's responsible for building and pushing these images. Typically, for a project like Kairos-io, there are automated jobs configured to detect changes in the codebase, trigger a build of the relevant images, and then push those newly created images to a specified container registry like Quay.io. The fact that this Nvidia Orin NX specific image isn't appearing suggests one of a few things: either the build step for this particular variant isn't being triggered, the push command is failing, or perhaps it was intentionally omitted to keep the number of images minimal. The implications of a missing image are significant, especially for users relying on pre-built artifacts for quick deployment on their Nvidia Orin NX devices. Without this specific image, users are left without a clear path to quickly install Kairos-io as outlined in the official guides. The Nvidia Jetson Orin NX series, with its powerful ARM64 architecture and GPU capabilities, requires a core image that is specifically tailored to its hardware, including drivers and optimizations that ensure everything runs efficiently. A generic ARM64 image might boot, but it won't unlock the full potential of the Orin NX, which defeats the purpose of choosing such a powerful edge AI platform. The problem statement in the original discussion highlighted that this (new) image does not exist because it's not embedded in the GitHub Action. This is a critical piece of information, confirming our suspicion that the automation is simply not configured to handle this specific variant. The Kairos-io philosophy often leans towards efficiency and maintaining a lean footprint, but sometimes, for specialized hardware like the Nvidia Orin NX, a little extra effort in the build pipeline can go a long way in improving the user experience. It's a balance between keeping things minimal and providing essential, ready-to-use components for key hardware platforms. Understanding this gap is the first step towards bridging it, whether by adjusting the automated builds or providing clear, alternative instructions for users.

The Kairos-io Documentation & The Broken Link

Let's zoom in on the specific document that's causing the trouble: the Kairos-io installation guide for Nvidia Orin NX, found at https://kairos.io/docs/installation/nvidia_orin_nx/. This page is a critical resource, guiding users through the necessary steps to get Kairos-io running on their Nvidia Orin NX boards. The issue, as we've established, is that this documentation points directly to IMAGE=quay.io/kairos/ubuntu:22.04-core-arm64-nvidia-jetson-orin-nx-master. Imagine you're a developer, super excited to test out some edge AI applications on your Orin NX. You follow the docs diligently, copy-pasting commands, and then you hit that image pull step. Instead of seeing a download progress bar, you're greeted with an error message: