robot_upstart

robot_upstart provides a suite of scripts and a Python API to install and uninstall Linux startup jobs that launch groups of ROS 2 launch files when a machine boots. It detects the available init system and creates a systemd service (default) or an upstart job for your robot, so your bringup starts automatically and can be managed like any other system service.

Installation

From the ROS 2 apt repository (recommended):

sudo apt install ros-$ROS_DISTRO-robot-upstart

From source, in a colcon workspace:

cd ~/ros2_ws/src
git clone https://github.com/clearpathrobotics/robot_upstart.git
cd ~/ros2_ws
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -r -y
colcon build --symlink-install
source install/setup.bash

Usage

Create a startup job from one or more launch files. The following creates a job named myrobot (derived from the package name) that launches base.launch.py:

ros2 run robot_upstart install myrobot_bringup/launch/base.launch.py

The job starts automatically on the next boot. With systemd (the default) you can also manage it manually:

sudo systemctl start myrobot
sudo systemctl stop myrobot

To inspect the job output:

sudo journalctl -u myrobot

To remove a previously installed job:

ros2 run robot_upstart uninstall myrobot

Common options for install include --job (job name), --rmw (RMW implementation), --ros_domain_id, --user, --setup (workspace setup file), and --rosdistro. Run ros2 run robot_upstart install --help for the full list.

Python API

Jobs can also be created programmatically:

import robot_upstart

j = robot_upstart.Job(name="myrobot", rosdistro="jazzy")
j.add(package="myrobot_bringup", filename="launch/base.launch.py")
j.install()

Documentation

Additional documentation is maintained in the doc/ directory of this repository.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for development setup, linting, and pull request guidelines.

License

robot_upstart is released under the BSD license.