Ubuntu System Installation

This article describes how to flash the Ubuntu 24.04 system image onto the Rhino Pi IQ9N.

Reminder

Flashing formats the system, so back up your data beforehand.

Prerequisites

Item	Description
Rhino Pi IQ9N	The device to be flashed
System image	The Ubuntu 24.04 image obtained from the Image Download page
Windows PC	Used to install the flashing tools
USB TYPE-A to TYPE-C data cable	Connects the PC and the device; TYPE-A end to the PC, TYPE-C end to the device
DC power adapter	DC 19V / 65W

Installing the Flashing Tools

Before using the Rhino Pi IQ9N, developers need to preinstall the necessary software on a local Windows PC:

• USB driver: USB_Driver_qud.win.1.1_installer_10061.1.zip
• System flashing tool: QPST_2.7.496.zip
• ADB tools: platform-tools.zip

For software download links, see Tool Resource Download Links.

Installing the USB Driver

• Extract the USB_Driver_qud.win.1.1_installer_10061.1.zip file.

• After extraction, double-click the setup.exe program and wait for the Qualcomm USB Drivers installation interface to appear. Follow the prompts and click next to complete the installation.

Installing the System Flashing Tool

• Extract the QPST_2.7.496.zip file to the current folder.

• Navigate to the extracted QPST_2.7.496 directory and double-click the QPST.2.7.496.1.exe program to start the installation.

• Follow the prompts and click next continuously to complete the installation.

• Default installation path after completion: C:\Program Files (x86)\Qualcomm\QPST\bin.

• You can navigate to this directory and send the QFIL.exe program to the desktop.

• The desktop icon is as follows.

Installing ADB Tools

1. Unzip

• Extract the platform-tools.zip file to the D drive.

2. Configure ADB Environment Variables

• Copy the path of the extracted platform-tools folder.

• Right-click "This PC" and select "Properties".

• In the pop-up settings window, click "Advanced system settings".

• In the Advanced tab of the pop-up System Properties window, click "Environment Variables".

• In the pop-up Environment Variables window, select the Path variable in the "System variables" section and click "Edit" below.

• In the pop-up Edit Environment Variable window, click "New" and add the previously copied platform-tools path.

• Click "OK" in sequence to save the variable settings and exit.

3. Verify if the ADB Environment Configuration is Available

• Open the cmd window and enter adb. No error is reported.

Switching to Flash Mode

Method 1: Switch over ADB (system boots normally)

1. Use a USB TYPE-A to TYPE-C data cable to connect the PC and the device.

2. On the Windows PC, press WIN + R and enter cmd. In the window that opens, run adb devices to confirm that the device is listed.

   • If the device status shows offline or the device is not listed, wait a while and run adb devices again; as soon as the status becomes device you can continue. If it still does not work, unplug and replug the cable and retry.

adb devices

3. Run the following command to reboot the device into EDL mode.

adb root
adb shell reboot edl

Method 2: Enter by button (system cannot boot)

1. Disconnect the DC power supply from the device so that it is powered off.
2. Press and hold the RTSS BOOT button (corresponding signal FORCE_BOOT_S), then press the power button to power on; the device enters EDL mode, after which you can release the button.

For the button position and the operation sequence, see Buttons; for a description of the mode, see EDL Forced Download Mode.

Flashing with QFIL

Configuring the Configuration Options

• Open QFIL and click the Configuration - FireHose Configuration option at the top.

• In the Download Configuration window that appears, make the following settings:

Option	Value
Download Protocol	0-Sahara
Device Type	ufs
Reset After Download	Checked

Leave the other options at their defaults and click OK to save.

Selecting the Flash Port

• Click Select Port; in the port list that appears you should see Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008 (COMx). Select it and click OK.

• If the 9008 port does not appear, power-cycle the device, perform Switching to Flash Mode again, and wait for the port to appear.

Selecting the Build Type

• Locate Select Build Type and select Flat Build.

Selecting the Flash Files

• Extract the ROM package of the IQ9N system image.

• Under Select Programmer, click Browse... after Programmer Path. The file dialog is already set to the FireHose Programmer type by default, so simply select prog_firehose_ddr.elf inside the ROM package and click Open; there is no need to change the file extension.

• After the selection, Programmer Path and Search Path are filled in automatically with the path of the selected ROM package.

Selecting the Flash XML Files

• Under Select Flat Build, click Load XML....

• In the window that appears, select all XML files and open them.

• Another window pops up automatically; again select all XML files and open them.

• Once all XML files are loaded, the RawProgram and Patch lists show the selected files.

Tip

File names inside ROM packages may differ slightly between versions; refer to the files actually extracted.

Starting the Flash

• Once all the options above are configured, click Download to start flashing.

• After about 5 minutes, Download Succeed appears, indicating that flashing is complete and the device reboots automatically. If flashing fails, contact APLUX after-sales support.

Verifying the Flash Result

After the system boots, log in through Direct Display Login or ADB and run the following command to confirm the system version:

cat /etc/os-release

In the output, VERSION_ID should be 24.04.

Notes

• During flashing, do not cut power, unplug cables, or operate the device, otherwise the device may fail to boot.
• Flashing erases all data on the target storage, so back it up beforehand.
• Use the flashing tool and USB driver versions that match the current system version to avoid compatibility issues.