Prerequisites#
This section covers the prerequisites for deploying and using the Smart City Blueprint. Prerequisites are organized into common requirements for all deployments, and deployment-specific requirements for Docker Compose.
Common Prerequisites#
These prerequisites are required for Docker Compose deployment.
Hardware Requirements#
The Smart City Blueprint has been validated and tested on the following NVIDIA GPUs:
NVIDIA H100
NVIDIA L40S
NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell
Minimum System Requirements#
x86-64 architecture
18 core CPU (x86 systems)
128 GB RAM
1 TB SSD
1 x 1 Gbps network interface
Operating System and Base Software#
Ubuntu 24.04
NGC CLI 4.10.0 or later
Runtime Environment Settings#
The following Linux kernel settings are required:
# Ensure the sysctl.d directory exists
sudo mkdir -p /etc/sysctl.d
# Write VSS kernel settings to 99-vss.conf (persistent across reboots)
sudo bash -c "printf '%s\n' \
'net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6 = 1' \
'net.ipv6.conf.default.disable_ipv6 = 1' \
'net.ipv6.conf.lo.disable_ipv6 = 1' \
'net.core.rmem_max = 5242880' \
'net.core.wmem_max = 5242880' \
'net.ipv4.tcp_rmem = 4096 87380 16777216' \
'net.ipv4.tcp_wmem = 4096 65536 16777216' \
> /etc/sysctl.d/99-vss.conf"
# Reload sysctl to apply the new settings
sudo sysctl --system
Docker Compose-Specific Prerequisites#
The following prerequisites are required only for Docker Compose deployments:
NVIDIA Driver 580.105.08
Docker 27.2.0 or later
Docker Compose v2.29.0 or later
NVIDIA Container Toolkit 1.17.8
Note
For detailed installation instructions, see the Appendix:
Docker Compose deployments:
Common software (both deployments):
NGC API Key Access#
To deploy the Smart City Blueprint, you need an NGC API key with access to the required resources.
Create an NVIDIA NGC Account#
Go to https://ngc.nvidia.com
Click Sign up if you don’t have an account, or Sign in if you do
Complete the registration process with your email address
Generate an API Key#
Once logged in, click on your username in the top right corner
Select Setup from the dropdown menu
Navigate to API Keys under the Keys/Secrets section
Click Generate API Key
Click Generate Personal Key (available at both the top-center and top-right of the page)
Provide a descriptive name for your API key (e.g., “Smart City Blueprint Development”)
Select NGC Catalog for Key Permissions
Click Generate Personal Key
Copy the generated API key immediately - you won’t be able to see it again
Store it securely in a password manager or encrypted file
Note
Keep your NGC API key secure and never commit it to version control systems.
Verify Your NGC Access#
To verify your NGC key has the correct permissions:
# Set your NGC API key
export NGC_CLI_API_KEY='your_ngc_api_key'
# Test access to the required resources
ngc registry resource list "nvidia/vss-smartcities/*"
ngc registry resource list "nvidia/vss-core/*"
# Test access to the required images
ngc registry image list "nvidia/vss-core/*"
# Test access to the required models
ngc registry model list "nvidia/tao/*"
If you encounter permission errors, contact NVIDIA support for assistance.
Google Maps API Key#
The Video-Analytics-UI map view functionality requires a Google Maps API key.
You can obtain a Google Maps API key by following the create API key instructions.
Note
For production deployments, ensure you configure appropriate API key restrictions and usage limits.
Appendix: Software Prerequisites Installation Guide#
This appendix provides installation instructions for the software prerequisites. Instructions are organized by common software (required for all deployments) and deployment-specific software.
Common Software Installation#
Install NVIDIA Driver#
NVIDIA Driver version 580.105.08 is required for Docker Compose deployments.
You can download the driver directly from: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/drivers/details/257738/
For detailed installation instructions, refer to the official NVIDIA Driver Installation Guide: https://docs.nvidia.com/datacenter/tesla/driver-installation-guide/index.html
You can also browse drivers for your specific GPU and platform from the NVIDIA Driver Downloads page: https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx
Note
After installation, verify the driver is correctly installed by running nvidia-smi to confirm the driver version and GPU detection.
Note
NVIDIA Fabric Manager Requirement
NVIDIA Fabric Manager is required on systems with multiple GPUs that are connected using NVLink or NVSwitch technology. This typically applies to:
Multi-GPU systems with NVLink bridges (e.g., DGX systems, HGX platforms)
Systems with NVSwitch fabric interconnects
Hosts running NVIDIA H100, A100, V100, or other datacenter GPUs with NVLink
Fabric Manager is not required for:
Single GPU systems
Multi-GPU systems without NVLink/NVSwitch (PCIe-only configurations)
For installation instructions, refer to the official NVIDIA Fabric Manager documentation:
Installation Guide: https://docs.nvidia.com/datacenter/tesla/fabric-manager-user-guide/index.html
Verify Fabric Manager status after installation:
sudo systemctl status nvidia-fabricmanager
Install NGC CLI#
NGC CLI version 4.10.0 or later is required to download blueprints and authenticate with NGC resources.
Download and install NGC CLI:
For ARM64 Linux:
curl -sLo "/tmp/ngccli.zip" https://api.ngc.nvidia.com/v2/resources/nvidia/ngc-apps/ngc_cli/versions/4.10.0/files/ngccli_arm64.zip
For AMD64 Linux:
curl -sLo "/tmp/ngccli.zip" https://api.ngc.nvidia.com/v2/resources/nvidia/ngc-apps/ngc_cli/versions/4.10.0/files/ngccli_linux.zip
After downloading, install NGC CLI:
sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/bin
sudo unzip -qo /tmp/ngccli.zip -d /usr/local/lib
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/lib/ngc-cli/ngc
sudo ln -sfn /usr/local/lib/ngc-cli/ngc /usr/local/bin/ngc
Verify installation:
ngc --version
Configure NGC CLI with your API key:
ngc config set
When prompted, enter your NGC API key. For information on obtaining an NGC API key, see the NGC API Key Access section.
Note
For the latest version of NGC CLI, visit the NGC CLI downloads page: https://ngc.nvidia.com/setup/installers/cli
Docker Compose Software Installation#
These installation instructions are only required for Docker Compose deployments.
Install Docker#
Docker version 27.2.0+ is recommended. Follow the guide here for installing Docker: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/ubuntu/
After installation, complete the Linux post-installation steps so that Docker can run without sudo. See Linux post-installation steps for Docker Engine.
Configure Docker#
After installing Docker, you must configure it to use the cgroupfs cgroup driver.
Edit the Docker daemon configuration file:
Add or verify the following entry in /etc/docker/daemon.json:
"exec-opts": ["native.cgroupdriver=cgroupfs"]
This configuration must be included within the JSON object. For example:
{
"exec-opts": ["native.cgroupdriver=cgroupfs"]
}
If your /etc/docker/daemon.json already contains other settings, ensure this entry is added to the existing configuration.
Apply the configuration:
After editing the daemon configuration, restart Docker to apply the changes:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart docker
Note
Restarting Docker will temporarily stop all running containers. Plan accordingly if you have containers running.
Install Docker Compose#
Docker Compose v2.29.0 or later is required. Docker Compose v2 is typically installed as a plugin with modern Docker installations.
Verify if Docker Compose is already installed:
docker compose version
If not installed, install Docker Compose plugin:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-compose-plugin
Verify installation:
docker compose version
Note
Docker Compose v2 uses the command docker compose (without hyphen) instead of the older docker-compose command.
Install NVIDIA Container Toolkit#
The NVIDIA Container Toolkit is required to run the NVIDIA containers. Follow the guide here for installing the NVIDIA Container Toolkit: https://docs.nvidia.com/datacenter/cloud-native/container-toolkit/latest/install-guide.html
Note
This blueprint uses NodePort services for external access to application endpoints.