Install addon packages

Updated: September 12, 2023

Once you’ve installed the QNX Software Development Platform (SDP), you have a complete environment for developing programs that run on the QNX Neutrino RTOS. The environment includes the QNX Momentics IDE and a rich suite of command-line tools. To run programs on QNX Neutrino, you need to install addon packages, such as a reference image (for instance, a virtual machine for VMware) or a board support package (BSP) for your target system.

Selecting an addon package for installation

The Available tab (accessed by selecting Install New Packages from the Welcome screen) displays addon packages available for your current installation. By default, the packages are grouped by product, then by package category.

Selecting packages is easy. For instance, to select all of the packages in a package group, click the group's checkbox. To select (or deselect) one or more individual packages within a group, expand the group, then click the checkbox for each desired package.

When you select a package or package group, the QNX Software Center automatically selects all other packages (for instance, dependencies) that it will install with your selection. Likewise, if you deselect that package, the QNX Software Center deselects any other packages that it would have installed with the package.

Installing an addon package

To install a reference image, BSP, or other addon package, such as a middleware product:

  1. In the Available tab, select the package, then right-click and select Install. The QNX Software Center will compute installation requirements and display an Install wizard.
  2. Make sure that the item you want to install is checked, then click Next.
  3. Review the list of packages that the QNX Software Center will install, then click Finish.

    When installation is complete, you'll see the newly installed item in the Installed tab.

You don’t have to worry about installing packages in a specific order. The QNX Software Center manages dependencies for you.

Note: For an introduction to developing and running QNX Neutrino programs, see the QuickStart Guide on the QNX website.

Controlling which addon packages you can view or install

The following controls let you sort the contents of the Available tab and control which packages you can view or install:

To: Do this:
Sort packages by publication date or by name Toggle the Sort By icon:
View packages by category Click the Group by Category icon:
View or install only the latest versions of available packages Click the Show Only Latest icon:
View or install debug symbols, patches, experimental packages, or packages for specific architectures Use the corresponding checkboxes in the Edit Installation Properties dialog.
Change the policy that controls which versions of dependent packages the center will install Use the Update Policy selector in the Edit Installation Properties dialog.

To access the Edit Installation Properties dialog, go to the Advanced tab. For more information, see Edit installation properties.”

Can't find a package?

If the above controls don't help you find the package you want to install, try the following:

Determining where your package has been installed

Often, you need to know where a package and its files have been installed. For instance, when importing a BSP into the QNX Momentics IDE, you may need to supply the BSP's absolute path name.

To determine the location of an installed package or of any file within an installed package:

  1. Make sure you are in the Installed tab.
  2. Click the package, then select Package Contents in the Properties view.
  3. Look in the Name field to see the relative path of each file in the package (i.e. relative to the directory that contains the installation to which the package has been added). Note that a BSP consists of a single zip file.
  4. To get the absolute path of a file, right-click the file, then select Copy Full Path. The QNX Software Center copies the absolute path to your clipboard.