How to include a .launch file on a remote machine from a .launch file?

asked 2012-08-14 12:12:44 -0600

cdleveille
31 ●1 ●3 ●3

updated 2014-04-20 14:09:24 -0600

ngrennan
1 ●1 ●1

Hi,

I'm using openni_launch drivers for the Kinect on my robot. I am running roscore on a separate computer, my laptop. I have added a line reading <env name="ROS_MASTER_URI" value="MY_LAPTOP_NAME:PORT_NUM"/> to the openni.launch file on the robot computer so I can access the various image topics such as /camera/rgb/image_color from my laptop.

As it is, I can run the launch file on my laptop which creates the connection to the robot, and THEN I have to go over to the robot computer and launch openni.launch to start the Kinect drivers. This works fine, but it is inconvenient. I want to be able to start the Kinect drivers (execute the openni.launch file on the robot computer) from the launch file on my laptop.

I am wondering if there is a way to add an <include file=""/> tag to the launch file on my laptop that will run the openni.launch file on the robot.

Naturally, I looked at the <include> documentation at http://www.ros.org/wiki/roslaunch/XML/include already, but there doesn't seem to be anything about including a file on another machine. That's why I thought I would check here.

Thanks very much for reading, and hope you can help!

-Chris

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answered 2012-08-14 12:40:29 -0600

jbohren

5799 ●55 ●87 ●102 http://dscl.lcsr.jhu.e...

updated 2012-08-14 12:49:27 -0600

It looks like it's undocumented, and it even gives a warning if you try to use it, but! You can, in fuerte, at least, add a "machine" attribute to an "include" tag in a launchfile and get it to launch everything in that included launchfile to come up on another machine.

See here for setting up machine tags: http://www.ros.org/wiki/roslaunch/XML/machine

And then just simply do (with appropriate values) something like:

<launch>
  <machine name="other-pc" address="192.168.13.37" env-loader="/opt/ros/fuerte/env.sh"/>
  <include file="/path/to/file/on/local/machine.launch" machine="other-pc"/>
</launch>

It looks like what this is doing is actually reading a launchfile on the local machine, and then bringing up its nodes on the other machine!

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I have tried that with openni.launch, but it still launches nodes on local machine.

liborw ( 2012-09-04 21:05:53 -0600 )edit

1

Maybe it only works one level deep. This is an undocumented feature, but definitely something that I think should be added to the hydro roslaunch SIG: http://www.ros.org/wiki/hydro/Planning/roslaunch

jbohren ( 2012-09-05 02:37:28 -0600 )edit

1

I tried it in ROS Electric, but had no luck. WARNING: [path/to/MASTER/pc/name.launch] unknown <include> attribute 'machine'

I need to launch a node in a ClientPC with files living in the ClientPC too. Currently it attempts to read files in MASTERPC which also has them, but no luck either. Ideas?

amrivera ( 2013-03-22 07:30:00 -0600 )edit

4

On hydro this results in error: WARNING: [...launch] unknown <include> attribute 'machine'

liborw ( 2013-08-15 04:32:49 -0600 )edit

2

This isn't working on ROS Kinetic either, resulting in a warning and the nodes being launched on the local PC.

Girmi ( 2017-01-16 08:00:09 -0600 )edit

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answered 2017-01-17 02:59:55 -0600

Girmi
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updated 2018-02-22 03:58:42 -0600

If anyone is still looking for an answer, I think currently the most elegant solution is:

<launch>
        <include file="local_nodes.launch" />

        <group>
            <machine name="remote_machine" address="1.2.3.4" default="true" />
            <include file="remote_nodes.launch" />
        </group>
</launch>

Tested with ROS Kinectic on Ubuntu 16.04.

Edit: Apparently the machine tag doesn't apply to a specific group, but to any nodes/includes that come after it. So the order in which the tags are defined is important!

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Apparently the machine tag doesn't apply to a specific group, but to any nodes/includes that come after it. So the order in which the tags are defined is important!

Girmi ( 2017-02-06 03:56:19 -0600 )edit

Also the default="true" tag is needed to work properly. After adding that, it is finally working for me. Thanks!

philwall3 ( 2018-02-22 03:24:34 -0600 )edit

Do you mean the defailt="true" attribute of the <machine> element (which is present in my example)? Or is an additional attribute needed somewhere?

Girmi ( 2018-02-22 04:08:14 -0600 )edit

Yes I mean in the machine element like shown in your example. I was missing it at first and it was not opening the ssh connection to the remote machine, but instead just starting the launch file on the local machine.

philwall3 ( 2018-02-22 05:59:06 -0600 )edit

It seems to me like any file included via the file="" tag will be read locally but launched remotely, as in remote_nodes.launch must exist locally, but will launch the nodes mentioned within remotely. Can anyone else confirm this behaviour?

MikeWrock ( 2019-11-19 11:59:58 -0600 )edit

This is indeed the case. The same goes for the fact that any nodes you want to launch remotely, have to be installed locally as well.

Girmi ( 2019-11-20 07:39:03 -0600 )edit

I was able to launch a node remotely and that node was not installed locally. However, I am observing a problem with launching remote launch files. The ROS path of the local system is being checked for the package that contains the launch file and I recieved the ResourceNotFound error.

Hemanth ( 2019-11-21 04:57:33 -0600 )edit

does anyone has solved this issue. cas i'm also facing same issue and unable to solve it.

dinesh ( 2021-07-13 02:20:02 -0600 )edit

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answered 2021-07-13 11:24:28 -0600

MikeWrock
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This isn't the most elegant solution, but I have found a workaround to launch a launch file on a remote machine without having the launch file or nodes on the local machine

On the local machine I add the following script (remote_launch.bash) to one of my packages:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
ssh user@remote_ip "roslaunch your_remote_package launchfile.launch"

Don't forget to ssh-copy-id from the local to the remote machine so you don't need a password to ssh

My local machine's launch file just looks like:

<launch>
  <node name="your_name" pkg="your_package" type="remote_launch.bash" />
</launch>

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