Dockerfile Plan

Reproducible Dockerfile for the isaac_ros_dev_container.

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Context

The container (19.8 GB) was built interactively via docker exec + docker commit. No Dockerfile exists.

Target robot: Unitree G1 humanoid (Jetson Orin onboard). Container serves both simulation and real robot modes.

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Decisions

Decision	Choice
Base image	nvcr.io/nvidia/isaac/ros:noble-ros2_jazzy_d3e84470d576702a380478a513fb3fc6-amd64 (~19 GB, already pulled)
docker-compose.yml	Yes
Launch method	docker compose up -d with workspace-entrypoint.sh
Container name	isaac_ros_dev_container (required by ~/bin/ros2 wrapper and isaac-ros activate)
Unitree packages	NOT needed — G1 runs unitree_ros2 on its Orin, publishes standard ROS 2 topics

isaac-ros activate compatibility: partial. Can set base_image_keys in ~/.config/isaac-ros-cli/config.yaml, but if the container is stopped/missing, it recreates from scratch. Always start with docker compose up -d first.

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NVIDIA Reference Dockerfiles

At https://github.com/NVIDIA-ISAAC-ROS/isaac-ros-cli under docker/:

File	What it does	Size
Dockerfile.isaac_ros	Our base. Ubuntu Noble + apt repos (CUDA, Isaac ROS, Jetson, ROS2) + ros-jazzy-ros-base + entrypoint scripts	~1.46 GB
Dockerfile.noble	CUDA 13.0 dev + TensorRT + VPI + CV-CUDA + PyTorch + Triton + dev libs	~15 GB+
Dockerfile.ros2_jazzy	Full ROS2 Jazzy: 50+ packages, nav2, rviz2, foxglove, custom OpenCV	~3 GB+

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Packages to Add on Top of Base

Base already includes foxglove-bridge, image-transport, nav2, rviz2, slam_toolbox, TensorRT, PyTorch, OpenCV, and CUDA dev tools. Only these need adding:

ros-jazzy-isaac-ros-apriltag          # GPU AprilTag detection
ros-jazzy-isaac-ros-visual-slam       # cuVSLAM (visual SLAM)
ros-jazzy-isaac-ros-nvblox            # GPU 3D reconstruction
ros-jazzy-foxglove-compressed-video-transport  # H.264 NVENC for Foxglove (community package, NOT in base)
ros-jazzy-ffmpeg-encoder-decoder      # ffmpeg with NVENC
ffmpeg                                # CLI tool

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Custom Configs

1. FastDDS no-SHM XML

Currently at /tmp/fastdds_no_shm.xml (ephemeral). Bake into /etc/fastdds_no_shm.xml.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<dds xmlns="http://www.eprosima.com/XMLSchemas/fastRTPS_Profiles">
    <profiles>
        <transport_descriptors>
            <transport_descriptor>
                <transport_id>udp_transport</transport_id>
                <type>UDPv4</type>
            </transport_descriptor>
        </transport_descriptors>
        <participant profile_name="default_participant" is_default_profile="true">
            <rtps>
                <userTransports>
                    <transport_id>udp_transport</transport_id>
                </userTransports>
                <useBuiltinTransports>false</useBuiltinTransports>
            </rtps>
        </participant>
    </profiles>
</dds>

2. admin user

useradd -m -s /bin/bash -G sudo admin with UID 996 (matching host zeul). Required by isaac-ros activate.

3. FASTRTPS_DEFAULT_PROFILES_FILE env var

Do not use .bashrc — workspace-entrypoint.sh overwrites it. Use /etc/profile.d/fastdds-fix.sh pointing to /etc/fastdds_no_shm.xml.

4. Foxglove-bridge auto-start

At /usr/local/bin/scripts/entrypoint_additions/50-foxglove-bridge.sh. Must set FASTRTPS_DEFAULT_PROFILES_FILE explicitly — entrypoint sources scripts, not login shells.

#!/bin/bash
export FASTRTPS_DEFAULT_PROFILES_FILE=/etc/fastdds_no_shm.xml
source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash
ros2 launch foxglove_bridge foxglove_bridge_launch.xml port:=8765 &

5. H.264 NVENC republisher auto-start

At /usr/local/bin/scripts/entrypoint_additions/60-h264-republisher.sh.

#!/bin/bash
export FASTRTPS_DEFAULT_PROFILES_FILE=/etc/fastdds_no_shm.xml
source /opt/ros/jazzy/setup.bash
ros2 run image_transport republish raw foxglove --ros-args \
  -r in:=/front_stereo_camera/left/image_rect_color \
  -r out/foxglove:=/front_stereo_camera/left/compressed_video \
  -p out.foxglove.encoder:=h264_nvenc \
  -p out.foxglove.gop_size:=10 \
  -p out.foxglove.bit_rate:=5000000 \
  -p out.foxglove.qmax:=10 \
  -p 'out.foxglove.encoder_av_options:=forced-idr:1,preset:p1,tune:ll' &

AprilTag node launch with topic remapping

Default isaac_ros_apriltag subscribes to /image and /camera_info. Remap for carter warehouse:

ros2 launch isaac_ros_apriltag isaac_ros_apriltag.launch.py \
  --ros-args \
  -r image:=/front_stereo_camera/left/image_rect_color \
  -r camera_info:=/front_stereo_camera/left/camera_info

Consider adding as an entrypoint addition script (e.g. 60-apriltag.sh).

NOT needed in Dockerfile (auto-generated or runtime junk)

• /etc/libibverbs.d/*, /etc/nvsciipc*, /etc/cufile.json — created by CUDA/NVIDIA package installs
• /etc/ghostscript/*, /etc/java/*, /etc/pulse/* — created by dependency installs
• /tmp/launch_params_*, /tmp/*.log — runtime temp files

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Build Process

Step 1: Backups

# Tag old hand-built image
docker tag isaac-ros-apriltag:latest isaac-ros-apriltag:old

Full base image already pulled.

Step 2: Create ~/workspaces/isaac_ros-dev/Dockerfile

~40 lines: apt install Isaac ROS perception + foxglove H.264 transport + ffmpeg, create admin user, write FastDDS XML to /etc/, add /etc/profile.d/fastdds-fix.sh (NOT .bashrc — entrypoint overwrites it), create entrypoint addition scripts, set CMD/WORKDIR.

foxglove-bridge, image-transport, nav2, rviz2, TensorRT, PyTorch, OpenCV already in base — do NOT re-install.

Step 3: Create ~/workspaces/isaac_ros-dev/docker-compose.yml

Container name isaac_ros_dev_container, runtime nvidia, host networking, ipc host, privileged, workspace bind mount.

Step 4: Build

docker build -t isaac-ros-apriltag:latest ~/workspaces/isaac_ros-dev/

Step 5: Sanity checks (throwaway containers)

docker run --rm isaac-ros-apriltag:latest dpkg -l | grep isaac-ros-apriltag
docker run --rm isaac-ros-apriltag:latest id admin
docker run --rm isaac-ros-apriltag:latest cat /etc/fastdds_no_shm.xml
docker run --rm isaac-ros-apriltag:latest cat /etc/profile.d/fastdds-fix.sh
docker run --rm isaac-ros-apriltag:latest cat /usr/local/bin/scripts/entrypoint_additions/50-foxglove-bridge.sh
docker run --rm isaac-ros-apriltag:latest cat /usr/local/bin/scripts/entrypoint_additions/60-h264-republisher.sh

Step 6: Swap container

docker stop isaac_ros_dev_container && docker rm isaac_ros_dev_container
docker compose -f ~/workspaces/isaac_ros-dev/docker-compose.yml up -d

Step 7: Update ~/bin/ros2 wrapper

Change FastDDS XML path from /tmp/ to /etc/.

Step 8: Live verification

• ros2 topic list from host
• isaac-ros activate works

Step 9: Cleanup (optional, after everything works)

docker rmi isaac-ros-apriltag:old   # Remove old 19GB hand-built image

Step 10: Update skill docs

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Files to Create/Modify

File	Action
~/workspaces/isaac_ros-dev/Dockerfile	Create
~/workspaces/isaac_ros-dev/docker-compose.yml	Create
~/bin/ros2	Update FastDDS XML path

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Verification Checklist

1. docker build completes without errors
2. dpkg -l | grep isaac-ros-apriltag — package present
3. id admin — UID 996
4. cat /etc/fastdds_no_shm.xml — config present
5. FASTRTPS_DEFAULT_PROFILES_FILE set via /etc/profile.d/fastdds-fix.sh (NOT .bashrc)
6. Entrypoint addition scripts exist and are executable
7. docker compose up -d then ros2 topic list from host works
8. isaac-ros activate can attach to running container (never use it to start one)
9. foxglove-bridge auto-starts on port 8765
10. H.264 NVENC republisher auto-starts, /front_stereo_camera/left/compressed_video topic exists
11. Foxglove Studio connects to ws://100.101.214.44:8765 and shows camera feed
12. /tag_detections topic publishes when AprilTag node is launched

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Lessons Learned

• isaac-ros activate is destructive — if container is stopped, it docker rms and recreates from base image. All customizations lost.
• .bashrc gets overwritten — workspace-entrypoint.sh copies /etc/skel/.[^.]* over the user’s home dir. Use /etc/profile.d/ for persistent env vars.
• Entrypoint addition scripts must set their own env — they’re sourced, not login shells, so /etc/profile.d/ doesn’t apply. Each script must explicitly export FASTRTPS_DEFAULT_PROFILES_FILE=....
• Headless Isaac Sim needs explicit extension enable — SimulationApp({"headless": True}) does NOT auto-enable isaacsim.ros2.bridge. Call ext_manager.set_extension_enabled_immediate("isaacsim.ros2.bridge", True) before loading scenes.
• FastDDS SHM is the silent killer — topics discoverable across host/container but data doesn’t flow. Both the XML file AND env var must exist.
• H.265 NVENC doesn’t work with Foxglove — browser can’t decode keyframes. Use H.264 only.