Error installing nRF connect SDK in VSCode (Linux) (libunistring.so.2: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory)

[Eric Navarrete]

Hi, I have an issue when I try to install the nRF connect SDK.
I am using Linux Fedora 39, trying to isntall SDK  v2.5.0.

Steps taken so far:

• Download and install nRF command line tools
• Download nRF connect extension pack for VSCode
• In VSCode, succesfully installed toolchain v2.5.0

[22:26:54] nrfutil-toolchain-manager install v2.5.0: Download toolchain
[22:32:17] nrfutil-toolchain-manager install v2.5.0: Toolchain downloaded: success
[22:32:17] nrfutil-toolchain-manager install v2.5.0: Unpack toolchain
[22:32:30] nrfutil-toolchain-manager install v2.5.0: Toolchain unpacked to /home/eric/ncs/tmp/.tmpb49DV9: success
[22:32:30] nrfutil-toolchain-manager install v2.5.0: Install toolchain
[22:32:30] nrfutil-toolchain-manager install v2.5.0: Toolchain installed at /home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459: success
[22:32:30] =========== Toolchain validation report for nRF Connect SDK Toolchain v2.5.0 ===========

Then I select "Manage SDKs", "Install SDK", and then get the error below:

Command failed: git ls-remote --tags --heads https://github.com/nrfconnect/sdk-nrf
/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/local/libexec/git-core/git-remote-https: error while loading shared libraries: libunistring.so.2: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

Interstingly, when I open the nRF connect appimage and go to the toolchain manager, it shows the SDK is installed, but that seems to be incorrect to me.

Here is the output from the nRF connect extension generate support output command:

{
  "platform": {
    "os": "linux",
    "osVersion": "#1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Thu Dec 21 04:01:49 UTC 2023",
    "osKernel": "6.6.8-200.fc39.x86_64",
    "vscode": "1.85.1",
    "electron": "25.9.7",
    "node": "v18.15.0"
  },
  "system": {
    "date": "2023-12-28T22:42:16.308Z",
    "vscodeRoot": "/usr/share/code/resources/app",
    "nrfConnectForDesktopInstalled": "unknown",
    "vscodeUptime": "00:15:49",
    "osUptime": "00:16:46",
    "cpu": "AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12-Core Processor"
  },
  "workspace": {
    "name": null,
    "workspaceFile": null,
    "folders": []
  },
  "sdks": [],
  "apps": [],
  "workspaceState": "empty-ready",
  "toolchains": [
    {
      "version": "2.5.0",
      "path": "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459"
    }
  ],
  "connectedDevices": [],
  "deviceProvider": "nrfutil",
  "tools": {
    "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/opt/zephyr-sdk/arm-zephyr-eabi/bin/arm-zephyr-eabi-gcc": "0.16.1",
    "/opt/SEGGER/JLink/JLinkExe": "7.94b",
    "/usr/local/bin/nrfjprog": "10.23.2",
    "nrfutil": "Not found",
    "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/local/bin/cmake": "3.20.5",
    "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/local/bin/west": "1.1.0",
    "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/local/bin/python3": "3.8.2",
    "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/local/bin/ninja": "1.9.0",
    "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/bin/gperf": "3.1",
    "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/bin/dtc": "1.4.7",
    "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/opt/bin/gn": "1871",
    "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/local/bin/git": "2.37.3",
    "gdbPath": "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/opt/zephyr-sdk/arm-zephyr-eabi/bin/arm-zephyr-eabi-gdb"
  },
  "nrfutil": {
    "nrfutil-device": {
      "version": "2.0.0",
      "binPath": "/home/eric/.vscode/extensions/nordic-semiconductor.nrf-connect-2023.11.301-linux-x64/platform/nrfutil/bin/nrfutil-device"
    },
    "nrfutil-toolchain-manager": {
      "version": "0.14.1",
      "binPath": "/home/eric/.vscode/extensions/nordic-semiconductor.nrf-connect-2023.11.301-linux-x64/platform/nrfutil/bin/nrfutil-toolchain-manager"
    }
  },
  "environment": {
    "westEnv": {
      "ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE": "1",
      "GIT_EXEC_PATH": "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/local/libexec/git-core",
      "HOME": "/home/eric",
      "PATH": "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/bin:/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/bin:/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/local/bin:/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/opt/bin:/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/opt/nanopb/generator-bin:/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/opt/zephyr-sdk/aarch64-zephyr-elf/bin:/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/opt/zephyr-sdk/x86_64-zephyr-elf/bin:/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/opt/zephyr-sdk/arm-zephyr-eabi/bin:/home/eric/.local/bin:/home/eric/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/home/eric/.local/bin:/home/eric/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin",
      "ZEPHYR_TOOLCHAIN_VARIANT": "zephyr",
      "ZEPHYR_SDK_INSTALL_DIR": "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/opt/zephyr-sdk",
      "PYTHONPATH": "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/local/lib/python3.8:/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/usr/local/lib/python3.8/site-packages",
      "USER": "eric"
    },
    "inherited": {
      "ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE": "1",
      "HOME": "/home/eric",
      "PATH": "/home/eric/.local/bin:/home/eric/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin",
      "USER": "eric"
    },
    "toolchainPath": "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459",
    "toolchainBinPath": "/home/eric/ncs/toolchains/7795df4459/opt/zephyr-sdk/arm-zephyr-eabi/bin",
    "toolchainVersion": "2.5.0"
  },
  "terminal": {
    "defaultProfile": null
  },
  "config": {
    "nordic-semiconductor.nrf-connect": {
      "topdir": "",
      "toolchain": {
        "path": "${nrf-connect.toolchain:2.5.0}"
      },
      "ozonePath": "",
      "applications": [],
      "applicationOptions": {},
      "kconfig": {
        "interface": "kconfig"
      },
      "west": {
        "env": {
          "$base": "terminal"
        }
      },
      "boardRoots": [],
      "taskBindings": {},
      "debugging": {
        "flash": true,
        "bindings": {},
        "justMyCode": true
      },
      "activeAppFollowActiveEditor": true,
      "deviceProvider": "",
      "flash": {
        "softreset": false,
        "erase": false,
        "recover": false
      },
      "enableTelemetry": false,
      "thirdpartyIntegration": {},
      "toolchainManager": {
        "indexURL": null,
        "installDirectory": null
      },
      "nrfutil": {
        "home": null
      },
      "defaultOpenAction": "ask"
    },
    "nordic-semiconductor.nrf-terminal": {
      "terminalMode": "character"
    }
  },
  "extensions": {
    "internal": {
      "nordic-semiconductor.nrf-connect": {
        "version": "2023.11.301",
        "path": "/home/eric/.vscode/extensions/nordic-semiconductor.nrf-connect-2023.11.301-linux-x64",
        "isActive": true
      },
      "nordic-semiconductor.nrf-terminal": {
        "version": "2023.10.17",
        "path": "/home/eric/.vscode/extensions/nordic-semiconductor.nrf-terminal-2023.10.17",
        "isActive": true
      },
      "nordic-semiconductor.nrf-devicetree": {
        "version": "2023.11.120",
        "path": "/home/eric/.vscode/extensions/nordic-semiconductor.nrf-devicetree-2023.11.120",
        "isActive": true
      },
      "nordic-semiconductor.nrf-kconfig": {
        "version": "2023.11.64",
        "path": "/home/eric/.vscode/extensions/nordic-semiconductor.nrf-kconfig-2023.11.64",
        "isActive": true
      }
    },
    "external": {
      "marus25.cortex-debug": null,
      "ms-vscode.cpptools": "1.18.5",
      "ms-vscode.js-debug": "1.85.0",
      "ms-vscode.js-debug-companion": "1.1.2",
      "ms-vscode.vscode-js-profile-table": "1.0.8",
      "marlinfirmware.auto-build": "2.1.51",
      "ms-python.isort": "2023.10.1",
      "ms-python.python": "2023.22.1",
      "ms-python.vscode-pylance": "2023.12.1",
      "ms-toolsai.jupyter": "2023.11.1003402403",
      "ms-toolsai.jupyter-keymap": "1.1.2",
      "ms-toolsai.jupyter-renderers": "1.0.17",
      "ms-toolsai.vscode-jupyter-cell-tags": "0.1.8",
      "ms-toolsai.vscode-jupyter-slideshow": "0.1.5",
      "ms-vscode.cpptools-extension-pack": "1.3.0",
      "ms-vscode.cpptools-themes": "2.0.0",
      "ms-vscode.vscode-serial-monitor": "0.11.0",
      "platformio.platformio-ide": "3.3.2",
      "trond-snekvik.gnu-mapfiles": "1.1.0",
      "vsciot-vscode.vscode-arduino": "0.6.0"
    }
  }
}

I am not sure how to proceed from here, any help is appreciated. (I am a Linux noob)

I have seen this existing post:  https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/f/nordic-q-a/104649/toolchain-manager-not-installing-all-dependencies

I tried running the command in that post to create a symbolic link, however when I try installing the SDK again, the same error above persists.

[Petri1]

Hello,

I think this issue is going to be more relevant now in Ubuntu because the package libunistring2 in not included in Ubuntu 24.04.

The package libunistring2 seems to have been superseded by libunistring5.

[Lucas Farinha Bosio]

Thanks for the tip. I was wondering why I could install the SDK normally on Ubuntu 23.10, but not on 24.04.

I managed to get it working by downloading the package as a .deb file from the Debian repository (here for others needing a direct link) and then installing manually with dpkg. After that, the SDK installed normally and I could build a sample project.

[EdSwarthout]

The root cause is the toolchain including a libpsl.so.5 linked to an old libunistring.so.2, so another solution is to just remove libpsl.so.5* and let the system version of libpsl (installed with git) be used.

For that matter, since git is nearly ubiquitous, why not just make it a pre-rec and leave it out of the toolchain?