Configuring GMSL Cameras

Warning

Sol3 OS 0.2.1 only supports the 10-bit 6Gbps lowspeed stream parameters. Update your device to gain access to all stream parameters.

Prerequisites

Connect cameras to the desired ports following the Hardware Getting Started Page.
Ensure the sol3_carrier_board_server is running:

systemctl status sol3_carrier_board_server
# If it's not running, start it:
sudo systemctl start sol3_carrier_board_server
# If there is a problem, inspect the logs
journalctl -b -u sol3_carrier_board_server

Camera Discovery

Before discovering cameras, the sol3_gmsl_supervisor must be stopped:

sudo systemctl stop sol3_gmsl_supervisor

The sol3_gmsl_cli discover command detects cameras connected to GMSL ports and generates a configuration file at /opt/sol3/etc/camera_server/camera_server_config.json. This file will later be used by the sol3_gmsl_supervisor to configure the cameras and enable them for frame capture:

# Discover over all ports
sudo /opt/sol3/bin/sol3_gmsl_cli discover
# If you know which camera ports are populated, you can
# specify them here to speed up the discover process
sudo /opt/sol3/bin/sol3_gmsl_cli discover --camid 1 3

The discovery process will generate output similar to:

[2025-11-11 01:22:01.593] [info] [gmsl_cli.cpp:169] Writing /opt/sol3/etc/camera_server/camera_server_config.json
{
  "camera_configs": [
    {
      "cam_num": "GMSL_CAMERA_01",
      "camera_type": "IMX565_COLOR",
      "bit_depth": "SENSOR_BIT_DEPTH_10",
      "serial_number": "0041434a433841353031020006000a",
      "gmsl_link_speed": "GMSL_LINK_6_GBS_MIPI_LOWSPEED"
    },
    {
      "cam_num": "GMSL_CAMERA_03",
      "camera_type": "IMX577",
      "bit_depth": "SENSOR_BIT_DEPTH_10",
      "serial_number": "0041434a43384135303102804a0058",
      "gmsl_link_speed": "GMSL_LINK_6_GBS_MIPI_LOWSPEED"
    }
  ]
}

Configuration Parameters

The generated configuration file contains the following parameters for each camera:

cam_num

Camera port identifier. Valid values:

GMSL_CAMERA_01 through GMSL_CAMERA_12

camera_type

Sensor model. Valid values:

IMX577 - Sony IMX577 sensor
IMX565_MONO - Sony IMX565 monochrome sensor
IMX565_COLOR - Sony IMX565 color sensor

bit_depth

Sensor bit depth for image capture. Valid values:

Configurable: Adjust based on your application requirements. Higher bit depth provides greater dynamic range but requires more bandwidth.

SENSOR_BIT_DEPTH_10 - 10-bit pixel depth
SENSOR_BIT_DEPTH_12 - 12-bit pixel depth (currently unsupported)

serial_number

Unique camera serial number as a hexadecimal string. This is auto-detected during discovery and uniquely identifies the physical camera module.

gmsl_link_speed

GMSL link speed between serializer and deserializer. Valid values:

Configurable: Higher speeds support higher resolutions and frame rates but may limit cable distance.

GMSL_LINK_3_GBS_MIPI_LOWSPEED - 3 Gbps link speed
GMSL_LINK_6_GBS_MIPI_LOWSPEED - 6 Gbps link speed (image stream configured for 3 Gbps)
GMSL_LINK_6_GBS_MIPI_HIGHSPEED - 6 Gbps link speed

Applying Configuration

After generating or modifying the configuration file, restart the GMSL supervisor to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart sol3_gmsl_supervisor
# Verify the service started successfully:
systemctl status sol3_gmsl_supervisor
# If there is a problem, inspect the logs
journalctl -b -u sol3_gmsl_supervisor

The supervisor will:

Read the configuration from /opt/sol3/etc/camera_server/camera_server_config.json
Power on cameras sequentially
Configure GMSL serializer and deserializer chips
Validate camera serial numbers
Publish configuration to the camera server

Troubleshooting

Discover Fails to Run

If you get an error message like the following when trying to discover cameras, it indicates that the sol3_gmsl_supervisor is still running. Stop it before retrying.

$ sudo /opt/sol3/bin/sol3_gmsl_cli discover
terminate called after throwing an instance of 'std::runtime_error'
  what():  Socket is already in use: /run/sol3/carrier_board_camera_control
Aborted

I2C Scan for Debugging

To debug hardware connectivity issues, scan all I2C buses for connected devices:

sudo /opt/sol3/bin/sol3_gmsl_cli i2c-scan

This displays all detected I2C devices across the system, including cameras, serializers, and deserializers.

Camera Detection Issues

All GMSL deserializers are powered by a single PMIC circuit. If some cameras are failing to be detected, try cycling the PMIC power to resolve transient hardware issues:

# Turn deserializer PMIC on
sudo /opt/sol3/bin/sol3_gmsl_cli pmic on

# Turn deserializer PMIC off
sudo /opt/sol3/bin/sol3_gmsl_cli pmic off

GMSL Supervisor Fails to Start

Check service logs for detailed error messages:

journalctl -b -u sol3_gmsl_supervisor

Common issues:

Configuration file missing or malformed JSON
Serial number mismatch (camera hardware changed)
Carrier board server not responding