Source vs GitHub Release .deb

This page explains when to use prebuilt .deb files from GitHub Releases versus source builds for stack components.

These packages are not published to Debian / ROS apt software sources (packages.ros.org or Ubuntu apt). sudo apt install ros-jazzy-ocs2 will not find them there.

Available GitHub Release .deb packages

Package

.deb name

GitHub Releases

Purpose

OCS2

ros-jazzy-ocs2

legubiao/ocs2_ros2

MPC library

Common descriptions

ros-jazzy-robot-descriptions-common

fiveages-sim/robot-descriptions-common

Grippers / hands / sensors / robot_common_launch

arms_ros2_control

ros-jazzy-arms-ros2-control

fiveages-sim/arms_ros2_control

Controllers (optional)

Recommended for most users: run ./init_repo.sh in open-deploy-ws or fa-deploy-ws and choose d (deb) for the modules you want. To switch an existing module (including OCS2) between source and deb, use menu 2) 切换模块安装方式 — do not hand-edit apt lists or run dpkg as the primary path. Deb mode downloads those release assets via scripts/install_core_debs.sh.

Decision Matrix

Scenario

Recommendation

Quick start / learning

GitHub Release .deb (especially OCS2)

Production deployment

GitHub Release .deb

Controller development

Source build

OCS2 development

Source build

Custom robot integration

Source descriptions, GitHub Release .deb for OCS2

Contributing to the stack

Source build

OCS2: Deb vs Source

GitHub Release .deb

Primary path: in the deploy workspace, run ./init_repo.sh and choose d for OCS2 (menu 1), or install/update without Git (menu 3):

./init_repo.sh
# 1) init → ocs2_ros2: d (deb)
# or 3) 仅安装/更新核心 deb
./scripts/install_core_debs.sh --only ocs2

That downloads the matching .deb from GitHub Releases. The package name is ros-jazzy-ocs2; it is not available from the ROS apt index.

Manual fallback

Download the matching asset from ocs2_ros2 Releases (ros-jazzy-ocs2_*_<arch>.deb), then sudo dpkg -i ros-jazzy-ocs2_*.deb and sudo apt-get install -f if needed.

Pros:

  • Fast installation

  • Tested and stable

  • No build time

Cons:

  • Cannot modify OCS2 code

  • Locked to the release asset version

Source Build

Choose s for OCS2 in ./init_repo.sh (menu 1), or switch an existing deb install with menu 2. The script clones src/ocs2_ros2 on branch ros2. Then colcon build --packages-up-to ocs2.

Pros:

  • Full access to source

  • Can modify and debug

  • Latest features

Cons:

  • Long build time

  • Requires more disk space

  • Must manage updates manually

Mixing Source and Deb

You can mix source trees and GitHub Release .deb packages, but be careful of version conflicts.

Version Tracking

deb_versions.conf

The open-deploy-ws includes deb_versions.conf listing package prefixes, GitHub repos, and release tags used by install_core_debs.sh:

# package prefix | release tag | GitHub repo
ros-jazzy-ocs2|latest|legubiao/ocs2_ros2
ros-jazzy-robot-descriptions-common|latest|fiveages-sim/robot-descriptions-common
ros-jazzy-arms-ros2-control|latest|fiveages-sim/arms_ros2_control

Checking Installed Versions

# Check installed .deb version
dpkg-query -W -f='${Package} ${Version}\n' ros-jazzy-ocs2

# Check source version (if available)
cd src/ocs2_ros2 && git describe --tags

Switching Between

Primary path: ./init_repo.sh menu 2) 切换模块安装方式. The script detects current dpkg / source-tree state, switches source ↔ deb per module (cleans conflicting source or uninstalls the matching deb), then re-syncs.

./init_repo.sh
# choose 2) 切换模块安装方式

Related menu items from the same script:

  • 3) install/update debs without Git: ./scripts/install_core_debs.sh --only ocs2

  • 4) uninstall: ./scripts/uninstall_core_debs.sh --only ocs2

Then colcon build as usual.

Manual fallback

Hand-removing src/ocs2_ros2, sudo apt-get remove ros-jazzy-ocs2, or sudo dpkg -i is only for cases the init menu does not cover. Prefer menu 2 so visibility, submodules, and .core_module_mode stay consistent.

init_repo.sh Options

The initialization script handles this choice per module (d = GitHub Release .deb, s = source; Enter accepts the default):

./init_repo.sh
# Prompts:
# 核心模块安装方式（d=deb, s=source）
#   ocs2_ros2                  default: d  (GitHub Release .deb)
#   arms_ros2_control          default: s  (source)
#   robot-descriptions/common  default: s  (source)

Choosing d downloads the prebuilt .deb from GitHub Releases via scripts/install_core_debs.sh. It does not install from packages.ros.org.

Troubleshooting

Symbol/ABI Errors

If you see errors about undefined symbols or ABI mismatches:

  1. Check version compatibility

  2. Clean and rebuild from scratch:

    rm -rf build install
colcon build

  3. Ensure consistent source/Deb choice

Package Not Found After Install

These .deb files are not in the ROS apt index. sudo apt update will not make ros-jazzy-ocs2 appear.

# Confirm the package is installed
dpkg-query -W ros-jazzy-ocs2

# If missing, re-run ./init_repo.sh menu 2 or 3
./scripts/install_core_debs.sh --only ocs2

Conflicting Installations

Use ./init_repo.sh menu 2 so the workspace switches cleanly. Checking leftovers:

ros2 pkg list | grep ocs2