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Install QSC

To get started, register with Qualcomm to get a Qualcomm ID.

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Machine requirements

  • Linux (Ubuntu 22.04), Windows, Mac (arm)
  • Internet connectivity to Qualcomm back end servers (see firewall requirements ).
  • Minimum available storage of 300 GB to download and compile software product builds.
  • Minimum of 16 GB RAM.

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Windows

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Download QSC for Windows

  1. Log in to https://softwarecenter.qualcomm.com/catalog/item/Qualcomm_Software_Center with your Qualcomm ID.
  2. Select Install.
Download software center The QSC executable downloads to your Windows machine.

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Install QSC for Windows

  1. Select the QSC .exe executable to start the install.
  2. To open the Qualcomm Software Center desktop application after installation, search for Qualcomm Software Center in the Windows Search box.
QSC for Windows

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Linux

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Download QSC for Linux

Download Qualcomm Software Center for Linux using the following options.

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GUI

  1. Log in to https://softwarecenter.qualcomm.com/catalog/item/Qualcomm_Software_Center with your Qualcomm ID.
  2. Select Install.
gui-linux The QSC Debian package downloads to your machine.

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CLI

  1. If not already installed, run the following command to install curl.
sudo apt install curl
  1. To download the QSC installer for x86, run the following command.
curl -L https://softwarecenter.qualcomm.com/api/download/software/tools/Qualcomm_Software_Center/Linux/Debian/latest.deb -o qsc_installer.deb
For ARM64, the installer path is [https://softwarecenter.qualcomm.com/api/download/software/qsc/linux-arm64/latest.deb.](https://softwarecenter.qualcomm.com/api/download/software/qsc/linux-arm64/latest.deb`.)

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Install QSC for Linux

Install Qualcomm Software Center for Linux using the following options.

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GUI

Install the downloaded QSC Debian package using the Ubuntu GNOME GUI (GDebi). To install GDebi, run the following command in a terminal window. sudo apt install gdebi install_package.png

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CLI

To install the Debian package, run the following command. sudo apt update sudo apt install ./qsc_installer.deb
Ignore the following error message if it appears:o/p:: N: Download is performed unsandboxed as root as file '/home/ubuntu22/qsc_installer.deb' couldn't be accessed by user '_apt'. - pkgAcquire::Run (13: Permission denied)
After a successful install, a Installed Qualcomm Software Center v1.X.X successfully message displays.
For the Launcher workflow to detect connected devices and flash software builds, PCAT and QUD must be installed on the host machine. Follow the instructions to use the qsc-cli to install PCAT and QUD .

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Mac (arm)

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Download QSC for Mac

  1. Log in to Qualcomm Software Center with your Qualcomm ID.
  2. Select Install. :alt: Download software center :scale: 60 The QSC executable downloads to your machine.

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Install QSC for Mac

To install QSC for Mac devices, use one of the following options.
  1. Using the terminal, navigate to the Downloads folder and run the following.
sudo installer -pkg <path_to_downloaded_installer> -target /
  1. Using Finder, navigate to the Downloads location and double-click the installer. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation.

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Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

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Machine requirements

  • Windows 11 or Windows 10 Build 18362.1049 or later.
  • Minimum of 32 GB RAM. Follow the instructions at Speed up qsc-cli operations to allocate available RAM to WSL.
  • Minimum available storage of 500 GB.

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Prerequisites

Before installing WSL2, ensure the following Windows features are enabled.
  • Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux
  • VirtualMachinePlatform
To enable them, search for Turn Windows features on or off in the Windows search bar. A new window will pop up with a list of features available. Please ensure that the Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux and VirtualMachinePlatform features are enabled as shown below: Turn Windows features on or off
If you had to enable any or both of the above features, Windows may ask you to restart the machine. Please restart your machine first and then proceed with the next steps.

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Install QSC for WSL

  1. Install WSL using the procedure at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install. To set WSL2 as the default WSL version, run the following command in Windows PowerShell in admin mode.
wsl --set-default-version 2
  1. Install Ubuntu distro by running the following command in Windows PowerShell in admin mode.
wsl --install -d Ubuntu-22.04 Once the installation completes, create a new username and password. You will be logged in by default as that user upon account creation.
  1. Install qsc-cli by running the following commands in the Ubuntu session.
curl -L https://softwarecenter.qualcomm.com/api/download/software/tools/Qualcomm_Software_Center/Linux/Debian/latest.deb -o qsc_installer.deb sudo apt update sudo apt install ./qsc_installer.deb
Ignore the following error message if it appears:o/p:: N: Download is performed unsandboxed as root as file '/home/ubuntu22/qsc_installer.deb' couldn't be accessed by user '_apt'. - pkgAcquire::Run (13: Permission denied)
  1. Wait ~5 minutes and install the docker with the following commands.
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh sudo sh get-docker.sh sudo usermod -aG docker $USER sudo service docker start
  1. Set the docker to start automatically by opening /etc/wsl.conf and adding the following line (if not present).
[boot]
command = sudo service docker start
  1. On a Windows PowerShell in admin mode, run the following command for the changes to take effect.
wsl --shutdown
For the Launcher workflow to detect connected devices and flash software builds, PCAT and QUD must be installed on the Windows host machine. Follow the instructions to use the qsc-cli to install PCAT and QUD .

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Postrequisites

After installing WSL, the following optimizations are required.

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Optimize WSL performance

By default, Ubuntu installs on your C drive, which may not have enough space. If you have another drive with more storage space, you can change your Ubuntu distro’s install location to optimize performance.
  1. Run the following command in Windows PowerShell in admin mode.
wsl --shutdown
  1. From the Windows search bar, open Add or Remove Programs.
  2. Locate Ubuntu-22.04 in the list of apps.
  3. Select the app and then Select Move.
  4. Use the dropdown to select a new location and select Move.
It may take some time for the move to complete.

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Optimize QSC CLI operation speed

The system limits RAM usage by WSL to 50% of the total RAM on Windows. For example, even if you have 32 GBs of RAM available on the host, only 16 GBs would be allocated to WSL. A workaround for this limitation is to update the .wslconfig file where you can allocate available RAM to WSL.
  1. Create a %UserProfile%.wslconfig file with the following content.
These values are just for reference. Please crosscheck each of these settings to match the specifications on your machine.
# Settings apply across all Linux distros running on WSL 2
[wsl2]
# Limits VM memory to use no more than 64 GB, this can be set as whole numbers using GB or MB
memory=64GB
# Sets the VM to use 16 virtual processors.
processors=16
# Sets amount of swap storage space to 64GB, default is 25% of available RAM
swap=64GB
# Sets swapfile path location, default is %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Temp\swap.vhdx
swapfile=E:\\wsl-swap.vhdx
# Enable experimental features
[experimental]
# Automatically releases cached memory after detecting idle CPU usage. Set to gradual for slow release, and dropcache for instant release of cached memory.
autoMemoryReclaim=dropcache
  1. Run the following command in Windows PowerShell in admin mode.
wsl --shutdown
  1. Launch the Ubuntu distro again to start using qsc-cli .
Only qsc-cli is supported on WSL. The Qualcomm Software Center desktop application may not work on WSL.

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Support

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UTM for Mac

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Machine requirements

  • Host operating system: macOS Big Sur 11.3 or later
  • Architecture: ARM64
  • Processors: ARM-based Apple Silicon processor
  • Minimum of 18 GB RAM
  • Minimum available storage of 500 GB (300 GB free space)

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Download UTM and set up VM

  1. Download the applicable Ubuntu ISO image from the Ubuntu website. If your Mac laptop uses ARM architecture, download the ARM ISO image. a. Go to https://ubuntu.com/download/server/arm. b. Select Alternative and previous releases. c. Download the 22.04 ISO image.
  2. Download and install UTM. a. Go to https://mac.getutm.app/ and select Download. b. Double-click the downloaded .dmg file and drag and drop UTM into you Applications folder. c. Go to Applications and open UTM.
  3. Install Ubuntu. a. Select Create a New Virtual Machine. b. Select Virtualize. c. Select Linux as the operating system. For Boot ISO Image, select Browse to navigate to and select the previously downloaded Ubuntu ISO image file. d. Select Continue e. Select RAM and CPU cores (the minimum recommended RAM and cores are 10 GB and 6 cores, respectively) and select Continue. For better performance use 70% of the host configuration.
To check the system configuration on your Mac, select Apple menu > System Settings, then select General in the sidebar. You may need to scroll down. On the right, select About, then select System Report.
f. Specify the storage size (the minimum recommended storage is 300 GB to download and compile software product builds) and select Continue. g. Select the shared directory that can be accessible inside the VM (for example, the download folder) and select Continue. h. Update the system name (default is Linux) and select Save to save the system configurations.
  1. Open and set up Ubuntu by selecting the virtual machine play button.
The Tab key will move the cursor. The Space key will select the option.
a. Select Try or Install Ubuntu Server. b. Select the preferred language. c. Select the keyboard layout. d. Select Ubuntu Server (default) as the installation type. ubuntu_installation_type e. Select the default network interface. f. Select the default Ubuntu archive mirror. g. Select the default guided storage configuration. ubuntu_storage_config h. On the Storage Configuration page, go to USED DEVICES, press tab to select ubuntu-lv new, to be formatted as ext4, mounted at and press enter to change the ubuntu-lv size (for example, if ubuntu-vg has 196, keep ubuntu-lv as 190). i. On the Confirm destructive action page, select Continue.
This does not erase content inside the macOS.
j. On the Profile setup page, input the necessary information for the Ubuntu VM.
The username and password will become the login credentials for the VM.
k. On the Upgrade to Ubuntu Pro page, select Skip for now. l. If you want to enable SSH for your server, install the OpenSSH server package. To skip SSH setup, select Done. m. The Ubuntu system will install. Once complete, dismount the CD/DVD from the VM and restart. ubuntu_dismount_cd
  1. To use the VM, select the play button and log in. It may take time to show the Ubuntu login screen. If it fails to appear, restart UTM and start the VM.
  2. Install Ubuntu desktop. a. In the Ubuntu terminal, run the command to update your system.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y b. Install Ubuntu desktop. sudo apt install ubuntu-desktop -y c. Reboot the system. reboot Ubuntu desktop is now installed.
  1. Connect a USB to the machine. The VM will ask to allow the USB to connect. On Ubuntu desktop, select the USB symbol in the top right corner to view recently connected USBs. A list of available USBs can be accessed in the Ubuntu terminal by running the command.
lsusb

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Install QSC-CLI

  1. After setup is complete, install qsc-cli by running the following commands in the Ubuntu session.
curl -L https://softwarecenter.qualcomm.com/api/download/software/qsc/linux-arm64/latest.deb -o qsc_installer.deb sudo apt update sudo apt install ./qsc_installer.deb
Ignore the following error message if it appears:o/p:: N: Download is performed unsandboxed as root as file '/home/ubuntu22/qsc_installer.deb' couldn't be accessed by user '_apt'. - pkgAcquire::Run (13: Permission denied)
Start using qsc-cli to download and compile software product builds.
For the Launcher workflow to detect connected devices and flash software builds, PCAT and QUD must be installed on UTM. Follow the instructions to use the qsc-cli to install PCAT and QUD .