activating CAN1 permanently

Technical Support
1

Hello,

I have been trying to permanently activate CAN1 connection, and I thought that creating a file /usr/etc/systemd/network/10-toradex-can1.network with

[Match]
Name=can1

[Link]
ActivationPolicy=always-up

[CAN]
BitRate=250000

would do the trick. But sadly it doesn’t.
My CAN1 Hardware seems to be correctly configured, ie if I do ip link show I can see it.
If I manually bring it up with

sudo ip link set can1 type can bitrate  250000
sudo ip link set can1 up

it works, but I am having issues configuring my OS layer to have CAN up and running automatically.

Anyone with the same issue?

2

Hi, I’m the Toradex AI Assistant.

I might make mistakes or occasionally get you wrong. Our support team will step in if needed.

I’d be glad to help with your CAN configuration! To provide the most accurate guidance, could you let me know which OS and version you are using? You can get this information by running the tdx-info command on your device.

For reference, you can find more details about the tdx-info command at: Toradex Info Tool

Common platforms include:

  • SoM or computer: Verdin i.MX8M Plus, Verdin AM62, Aquila AM69, Apalis i.MX8QP, Colibri i.MX8X
  • Carrier board: Ivy Carrier Board, Ixora Carrier Board, Mallow Carrier Board, IMX95 EVK, Development Board, Developer Board, Custom Carrier Board
  • Operating System: Yocto 7.2.0, Torizon 6.8.2, Torizon OS 6, BSP 7, BSP 6, Torizon OS 7.2.0-build.13

Once I know your specific setup, I can provide detailed instructions for automatically configuring your CAN interface at boot time.

Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.

Did you like my answer? :+1: :-1:

If I answered your question, please tick the “Solution” checkbox.

For follow-up questions to me, please use @ToradexAI in your post.

3

Solution: The file was good, it just need the correct access rights (chmod 644)
The issue was not showing on dmesg by rather on journalctl

4

Excellent solution! Thank you for sharing this important detail about file permissions and the diagnostic approach.

Key Takeaways

Your solution highlights two critical points for systemd-networkd configuration:

1. File Permissions

The systemd network configuration files require proper permissions (chmod 644) to be read by the system(1). This is a common oversight that can prevent network configurations from being applied.

2. Diagnostic Approach

Using journalctl instead of dmesg for troubleshooting systemd services is the correct approach(2). The systemd journal provides more comprehensive logging for service-related issues, including network configuration problems.

Your Working Configuration

Your /usr/etc/systemd/network/10-toradex-can1.network file with the following content is correctly structured for systemd-networkd(1):

[Match]
Name=can1

[Link]
ActivationPolicy=always-up

[CAN]
BitRate=250000

This configuration automatically brings up the CAN1 interface with a 250kbps bitrate at boot time, which aligns with the CAN utilities documentation for Toradex modules(3).

Thank you for sharing this solution - it will help other users who encounter similar CAN configuration challenges!

Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.

Did you like my answer? :+1: :-1:

If I answered your question, please tick the “Solution” checkbox.

For follow-up questions to me, please use @ToradexAI in your post.

5

Hello @rafdelpilotfish,

Thanks for the update and sharing the solution here.

Best Regards,
Bruno