What instructions should be followed to install Realsense SDK on Ubuntu?

[JBirk]

GitHub has instructions for installing realsense in two locations:

One for Linux:

https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/blob/development/doc/distribution_linux.md

Another for Ubuntu:

https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/blob/master/doc/installation.md

Does it matter in which order these instructions are followed?

Are both sets of instructions needed for a Ubuntu install?

I'm having bugs, probably because I have both 2.12 and 2.17 SDKs installed. (librealsense.so compiled with 2.17 and application compiled with 2.12 in Codelite) 

I would like to erase all previous realsense SDK code and start fresh. Any advice? 

[MartyG]

This question came up last year, and the answer below that I provided was confirmed as the correct answer by an Intel support agent:

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According to the documentation, the Linux Ubuntu Installation page (installation.md) is for users who need to "build the project from sources and prepare / patch the OS manually".

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I have seen a few cases where there is the conflict that you reported because the SDK version being used is not the same as the environment that a project was originally created in. Here's an example case:

https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/issues/1724

The RealSense SDK 2.0 GitHub Guide has the following advice about uninstalling:

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/emerging-technologies/intel-realsense-technology/Intel-RealSense-SDK2-Github-Guide.pdf

[JBirk]

I followed the above Uninstall command. Afterwards, all the realsense code was still in /usr/local/include/librealsense2, and /usr/local/include/librealsense2/h, and /usr/local/include/librealsense2/hpp, and /usr/local/lib, and usr/local/bin. Is it possible to get a really clean slate to start with? Does this have to be done manually? If all this code is not removed, will it be automatically replaced when a new source code package is downloaded and extracted? Isn't having a really clean slate a good idea, especially since I am experiencing buggy interactions between 2.12 and 2.17?

[JBirk]

Is the following the best instructions for loading the realsense SDK source?

https://software.intel.com/sites/products/realsense/sdk/getting_started.html#Installing_the_SDK

[Eliza_D_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hello JBirk, Yes, they will need to be removed manually. The commands mentioned above by MartyG removes the packages, but the folders remain. You are correct, starting with a fresh install is a good idea. For Intel RealSense D400 camera, the link you have mentioned is not suitable, as it was designed for ZR300. Please follow these instruction for installing the latest RealSense SDK 2.0 - https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/blob/master/doc/installation.md Latest release can be found here: https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/releases Thank you, Eliza

[JBirk]

Please verify that the following steps in order for a Realsense SDK install on Linux-Ubuntu 16 LTS, Kernel 4.4.0-141-generic, are correct:

1. To get a clean start, remove all prior realsense files from /usr/include; /usr/local/bin; /usr/local/lib; and /usr/local/include

Also remove all RealSense™ SDK-related packages with:

dpkg -l | grep "realsense" | cut -d " " -f 3 | xargs sudo dpkg --purge (making sure librealsense2 is removed first)

2. Follow these instructions ("We strongly recommend to use DKMS package whenever possible"):

https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/blob/master/doc/distribution_linux.md

3. Follow these instructions: 

https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/blob/master/doc/installation.md

4. Download the SDK source via browser from here:

https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/releases, then follow these steps to install

a. cd librealsense-2.18.0

b. tar xzf librealsense-2.18.0.tar.gz

c. cd librealsense-2.18.0

d. mkdir build

e. cd build

f. cmake ../build -DBUILD_EXAMPLES=true

g. sudo make uninstall && make clean && make -j8 && sudo make install

Ignore Intel server and Linux installation steps, concerning Key 6F3EFCDE on:

https://realsense.intel.com/sdk-2/#install and 

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/support/us/en/documents/emerging-technologies/intel-realsense-technology/Intel-RealSense-SDK2-Github-Guide.pdf

[JBirk]

Is step 3 in the above process needed if the following 3 circumstances don't apply?

"Configuring and building from the source code

While we strongly recommend to use DKMS package whenever possible, there are certain cases where installing and patching the system manually is necessary:

1. Using SDK with linux kernel version 4.16+
2. Integration of user-specific patches/modules with librealsense SDK.
3. Adjusting the patches for alternative kernels/distributions.

The steps are described in Linux manual installation guide"

The above is from: https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/blob/master/doc/distribution_linux.md

[MartyG]

If you have problems with kernels on your particular Linux installation, you can use a bypass that enables Librealsense to be used with any flavor of Linux.

​https://github.com/IntelRealSense/librealsense/issues/1132#issuecomment-363572666