Slow deployment on VS Code using Torizon IDE Extension on iMX7 – apt-get update taking 30–90 minutes

Technical Support
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Hi, I’m the Toradex AI Assistant.

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

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I can help you understand and optimize the deployment process. To provide the most accurate guidance, could you let me know which version of Torizon OS you are running? You can check this using the tdx-info command on your device. For more details about this command, see: tdx-info documentation

Understanding the Deployment Process

The slow apt-get -q -y update command occurs during the debug container build process (1). This command updates package lists from Debian repositories and is part of the automated package installation process (1).

Common Causes of Variable Deployment Times

Based on the Torizon IDE Extension architecture, several factors can affect deployment speed:

1. Network-Related Issues

The variable timing you’re experiencing is often related to network connectivity issues (5). Network instability or low bandwidth can significantly affect the connection and cause timeouts during package downloads (5).

2. Container Build Process

The first-time build can be particularly slow because Docker needs to download and cache all the base layers and dependencies (2). The debug container is built on the host machine and then deployed to the target device (3).

3. Package Repository Access

The apt-get update command downloads package lists from Debian repositories. Slow or overloaded repository servers can cause significant delays (1).

Recommended Solutions

Network Troubleshooting

  • Verify network connectivity between your development machine and the Colibri iMX7 (5)
  • Check that necessary ports are accessible (5)
  • Consider network stability issues in your environment (5)

Docker Configuration

  • Ensure you have only Docker Desktop or Docker Engine installed, not both simultaneously (5)
  • Consider using a pull-through cache to reduce network load (5)

Package Management Optimization

You can optimize package installation by carefully managing your torizonPackages.json file (1). The IDE Extension uses this file to automatically add packages to the debug container during the build process (1).

The packages are installed using this pattern in Dockerfile.debug (1):

RUN apt-get -q -y update && \
    apt-get -q -y install \
# DO NOT REMOVE THIS LABEL: this is used for VS Code automation
    # __torizon_packages_dev_start__
    # __torizon_packages_dev_end__
# DO NOT REMOVE THIS LABEL: this is used for VS Code automation
    && \
    apt-get clean && apt-get autoremove && \
    rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*

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Build Time Expectations

It’s normal for the first build to take considerable time, especially on ARM-based targets like the Colibri iMX7, as the process may use emulation for cross-compilation (2).

Once you provide the Torizon OS version information, I can offer more specific optimization recommendations for your setup.

Best regards, Toradex AI Assistant.

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