Error Installing Tensorflow in Raspberry Pi 4

Question

Help I'm new to this and I cannot install Tensorflow on Raspberry Pi 4 4GB. Current Python version: Python 3.7.3 Pip version : pip 19.2.3

I tried typing

pip install --upgrade tensorflow

and

pip3 install --user --upgrade tensorflow 

and

pip install tensorflow

All of them cannot work and return similar error.

ERROR: Exception:
Traceback (most recent call last):
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/cli/base_command.py", line 188, in main
 status = self.run(options, args)
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/commands/install.py", line 345, in run
 resolver.resolve(requirement_set)
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/legacy_resolve.py", line 196, in resolve
 self._resolve_one(requirement_set, req)
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/legacy_resolve.py", line 359, in _resolve_one
 abstract_dist = self._get_abstract_dist_for(req_to_install)
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/legacy_resolve.py", line 307, in _get_abstract_dist_for
 self.require_hashes
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/operations/prepare.py", line 199, in prepare_linked_requirement
 progress_bar=self.progress_bar
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/download.py", line 1064, in unpack_url
 progress_bar=progress_bar
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/download.py", line 924, in unpack_http_url
 progress_bar)
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/download.py", line 1152, in _download_http_url
 _download_url(resp, link, content_file, hashes, progress_bar)
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/download.py", line 861, in _download_url
 hashes.check_against_chunks(downloaded_chunks)
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/utils/hashes.py", line 75, in check_against_chunks
 for chunk in chunks:
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/download.py", line 829, in written_chunks
 for chunk in chunks:
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/utils/ui.py", line 156, in iter
 for x in it:
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_internal/download.py", line 818, in resp_read
 decode_content=False):
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_vendor/urllib3/response.py", line 531, in stream
 data = self.read(amt=amt, decode_content=decode_content)
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_vendor/urllib3/response.py", line 496, in read
 raise IncompleteRead(self._fp_bytes_read, self.length_remaining)
 File "/usr/lib/python2.7/contextlib.py", line 35, in __exit__
 self.gen.throw(type, value, traceback)
 File "/home/pi/.local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip/_vendor/urllib3/response.py", line 402, in _error_catcher
 raise ReadTimeoutError(self._pool, None, 'Read timed out.')
ReadTimeoutError: HTTPSConnectionPool(host='www.piwheels.org', port=443): Read timed out.

Sorry if I did not show my problems correctly because this is the first time I'm posting here.

• tlfong01: Ah, let me see. There are many versions of TensorFlow, with different NN models. Please give me the web link to the tutorial or instruction. I can try to reproduce your situation and problem. PS - the error message indicate Python 2.7. So your python env might be corrupted, or you forget to use pip3 (your last pip!) and messed up python 2.7 and 3.7.3 stuff.
• tlfong01: You might like to try these (third is out of date), and see if there is any problem. I can try to reproduce your situation.(1) Installing Machine Learning Software TensorFlow on Raspberry Pi - Rishabh Jain 2019may10 circuitdigest.com/microcontroller-projects/… (3) Detect ANY Object with Raspberry Pi and TensorFlow Youtube - 2018dec21 youtube.com/watch?v=zqIBce4LKx8 (2) How to install TensorFlow 1.9 On Rpi - Magpi 2018 raspberrypi.org/magpi/tensorflow-ai-raspberry-pi
• tlfong01: I thought your tutorial is out of date, therefore I suggest some more updated references. But the tutorial you provide in your answer is actually from the TF official site, and is more date than mine. So forget what I suggested. I will try to see if I can repeat your situation. Sorry for confusing you.
• Dmitry Grigoryev: @Kor please note that you should create an account and use it for all your contributions if you want the site to work properly. I see you tried to edit your own question, but the site didn't recognize you as the same user.
• goldilocks: @tlfong01 From Kor, who lost his/her password to this account: "Thanks for your answer tlfong01, I'll try that later when I am free. The instructions I follow is from www.tensorflow.org/install/pip I didn't install it in the virtual environment because I don't see the importance of using a virtual environment in this situation since ML is all that I'm working on in this raspberry pi ... I am still trying to solve this issue but still have no substantial update to it."

Answer 1

OK guys, I fixed the issue. Apparently, I need to install the libatlas-base-dev package first before installing TensorFlow. For future reference, if anyone cannot install TensorFlow package on Raspberry Pi 4, they should try entering the command sudo apt install libatlas-base-dev.

• Fred: Mark this as the correct solution when you can please.

Answer 2

Question

Rpi4B 2GB here. How to install TensorFlow?

---

Answer

My first installation failed because Rpi's swap file was too small. I set swap file to 2GB and second installation is more or less successful (See Appendix B).

---

Learning Notes

Update 2019 sep29 hkt1613

I increased the swap file to 2GB and installed again.

pi@raspberrypi:~ $ pip install --upgrade tensorflow

This time the installation completed in about 15 minutes, with the message saying something like:

Successfully built absl-py wrapt keras-applications termcolor gast

Failed to build h5py, ...

I think the h5py thing might not be a big deal. I will move on to study the tutorial and do the Keras experiments.

So this is more or less the end of my answer.

---

Update 2019 sep29 hkt2241

Apology - I missed something very important. When I got the "memory error" message, my immediate thought was that Tensor Flow is for big Windows/Linux machines with perhaps at least 4GB RAM. So I was thinking of trying again on my PC with 6GB RAM.

It was only when @Dmitry Grigoryev suggested me to increase swap size then I realized that the error message "memory error" is for hackers with IQ> 120+. For newbie with IQ a "little bit" lower, a friendly error message should read:

Sorry, your virtual memory seems too small for TensorFlow to do big things. Perhaps you should increase the swap memory/storage/file a bit and try your luck again.

---

Update 2019sep26hkt1743

Bad news. I tried but got "memory error". (My Rpi4B is 2GB version.)

My Rpi4B is 2GB version, free -m shows Total 1939, used 131, free 1525, ...

---

References

(1) Install TensorFlow - tensor.org (CPU only, Raspbian 9+, python3, pip3)

tensorflow logo

(2) Installing Machine Learning Software TensorFlow on Raspberry Pi - Rishabh Jain 2019may30

(3) Detect ANY Object (Eg Guitar) with Raspberry Pi and TensorFlow - 2018dec21

(4) How to Install TensorFlow on Rpi - MagPi 2018

(5) How to change Raspberry Pi's Swapfile Size on Raspbian - Shane Pfaffly 2015feb11

(6) Raspberry Pi - How to increase swap size

(7) TensorFlow Tutorials - 2019sep30

(8) Intro to Machine Learning (ML Zero to Hero, part 1) - 2019aug30

(9) TensorFlow 2.0 and Keras (#AskTensorFlow) - 2019jul03

(10) What’s coming in TensorFlow 2.0 - 2019jan15

(11) Standardizing on Keras: Guidance on High-level APIs in TensorFlow 2.0 - 2018dec07

(12) tlfong01's Second TensorFlow Installation Record (PenZu)

---

Appendices

Appendix A - TensorFlow Installation Error Record

tensor-error 1

Appendix B - TensorFlow installation looks OK, after enlarging swap to 2GB

(1) Successfully built absl-py wrapt keras-applications termcolor gast

(2) Failed to build h5py

PenZu Record

*** Swap file size testing - tlfong01 2019sep30hkt1540
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ date
Mon 30 Sep 2019 01:47:40 PM HKT
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ uname -a
Linux raspberrypi 4.19.66-v7l+ #1253 SMP Thu Aug 15 12:02:08 BST 2019 armv7l GNU/Linux
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ sudo /etc/init.d/dphys-swapfile stop
[ ok ] Stopping dphys-swapfile (via systemctl): dphys-swapfile.service.
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ sudo /etc/init.d/dphys-swapfile start
[ ok ] Starting dphys-swapfile (via systemctl): dphys-swapfile.service.
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ free -m
 total used free shared buff/cache available
Mem: 1939 177 1146 44 615 1632
Swap: 2047 0 2047
---
*** Swap file sizing setting - tlfong01 2019sep30hkt1538 ***
# /etc/dphys-swapfile - user settings for dphys-swapfile package
# where we want the swapfile to be, this is the default
#CONF_SWAPFILE=/var/swap
# set size to absolute value, leaving empty (default) then uses computed value
# you most likely don't want this, unless you have an special disk situation
#CONF_SWAPSIZE=100 *** comment out tlfong01 2019sep30hkt1343 ***
# set size to computed value, this times RAM size, dynamically adapts,
# guarantees that there is enough swap without wasting disk space on excess
#CONF_SWAPFACTOR=2 *** uncomment to belwo tlfong01 2019sep30hkt1345 ***
CONF_SWAPFACTOR=2
# restrict size (computed and absolute!) to maximally this limit
# can be set to empty for no limit, but beware of filled partitions!
# this is/was a (outdated?) 32bit kernel limit (in MBytes), do not overrun it
# but is also sensible on 64bit to prevent filling /var or even / partition
#CONF_MAXSWAP=2048
---
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ pip install --upgrade tensorflow
Looking in indexes: https://pypi.org/simple, https://www.piwheels.org/simple
Collecting tensorflow
 Downloading https://www.piwheels.org/simple/tensorflow/tensorflow-1.14.0-cp27-none-linux_armv7l.whl (100.7MB)
 ...
Building wheels for collected packages: absl-py, wrapt, keras-applications, termcolor, gast, h5py
 ...
 Running setup.py bdist_wheel for h5py ... error
 Complete output from command /usr/bin/python -u -c "import setuptools, tokenize;__file__='/tmp/pip-install-ST0RXd/h5py/setup.py';f=getattr(tokenize, 'open', open)(__file__);code=f.read().replace('\r\n', '\n');f.close();exec(compile(code, __file__, 'exec'))" bdist_wheel -d /tmp/pip-wheel-cgtYcy --python-tag cp27:
 Unable to find pgen, not compiling formal grammar.
 Compiling /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Plex/Scanners.py because it changed.
 Compiling /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Plex/Actions.py because it changed.
 Compiling /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Compiler/Scanning.py because it changed.
 Compiling /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Compiler/Visitor.py because it changed.
 Compiling /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Compiler/FlowControl.py because it changed.
 Compiling /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Runtime/refnanny.pyx because it changed.
 Compiling /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Compiler/FusedNode.py because it changed.
 Compiling /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Tempita/_tempita.py because it changed.
 [1/8] Cythonizing /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Compiler/FlowControl.py
 [2/8] Cythonizing /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Compiler/FusedNode.py
 [3/8] Cythonizing /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Compiler/Scanning.py
 [4/8] Cythonizing /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Compiler/Visitor.py
 [5/8] Cythonizing /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Plex/Actions.py
 [6/8] Cythonizing /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Plex/Scanners.py
 [7/8] Cythonizing /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Runtime/refnanny.pyx
 [8/8] Cythonizing /tmp/easy_install-9rHdMa/Cython-0.29.13/Cython/Tempita/_tempita.py
 warning: no files found matching 'Doc/*'
 warning: no files found matching '*.pyx' under directory 'Cython/Debugger/Tests'
 warning: no files found matching '*.pxd' under directory 'Cython/Debugger/Tests'
 warning: no files found matching '*.pxd' under directory 'Cython/Utility'
 warning: no files found matching 'pyximport/README'
 Installed /tmp/pip-install-ST0RXd/h5py/.eggs/Cython-0.29.13-py2.7-linux-armv7l.egg
 running bdist_wheel
 running build
 running build_py
 creating build
 creating build/lib.linux-armv7l-2.7
 creating build/lib.linux-armv7l-2.7/h5py
 ...
 running build_ext
 ('Loading library to get version:', 'libhdf5.so')
 error: libhdf5.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
 ----------------------------------------
 Failed building wheel for h5py
 Running setup.py clean for h5py
Successfully built absl-py wrapt keras-applications termcolor gast
Failed to build h5py
Installing collected packages: absl-py, keras-preprocessing, futures, setuptools, protobuf, grpcio, markdown, tensorboard, wrapt, backports.weakref, h5py, keras-applications, astor, termcolor, gast, google-pasta, tensorflow-estimator, tensorflow
 The script markdown_py is installed in '/home/pi/.local/bin' which is not on PATH.
 Consider adding this directory to PATH or, if you prefer to suppress this warning, use --no-warn-script-location.
 The script tensorboard is installed in '/home/pi/.local/bin' which is not on PATH.
 Consider adding this directory to PATH or, if you prefer to suppress this warning, use --no-warn-script-location.
 Running setup.py install for h5py ... error
 Complete output from command /usr/bin/python -u -c "import setuptools, tokenize;__file__='/tmp/pip-install-ST0RXd/h5py/setup.py';f=getattr(tokenize, 'open', open)(__file__);code=f.read().replace('\r\n', '\n');f.close();exec(compile(code, __file__, 'exec'))" install --record /tmp/pip-record-uS3h19/install-record.txt --single-version-externally-managed --compile --user --prefix=:
 running install
 running build
 running build_py
 running build_ext
 ('Loading library to get version:', 'libhdf5.so')
 error: libhdf5.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
 ----------------------------------------
Command "/usr/bin/python -u -c "import setuptools, tokenize;__file__='/tmp/pip-install-ST0RXd/h5py/setup.py';f=getattr(tokenize, 'open', open)(__file__);code=f.read().replace('\r\n', '\n');f.close();exec(compile(code, __file__, 'exec'))" install --record /tmp/pip-record-uS3h19/install-record.txt --single-version-externally-managed --compile --user --prefix=" failed with error code 1 in /tmp/pip-install-ST0RXd/h5py/
pi@raspberrypi:~ $ 
.END

End of answer and learning notes. Comments follow, ...

• Ingo: Please don't post pictures of text. Instead paste the text direct into the answer.
• Dmitry Grigoryev: ctrl-c, ctrl-v are meaningless in terminal applications. They would work in any GUI editor such as leafpad though. More importantly, I don't see how MemoryError is a show-stopper. Have you tried to add 2GB of swap?
• goldilocks: @DmitryGrigoryev No, it's just that ctrl-c triggers a SIGINT which is passed through to the application by the shell. Pretty sure that starts with the kernel doing the capture. Ctrl-v can and is used by TUI applications (e.g., vim), but it does not have a universal meaning.
• Dmitry Grigoryev: Ctrl codes are used to send special characters on keyboards which don't have dedicated keys for them. ctrl-c sends character 0x03 (which by convention is used to terminate a running command in a shell), ctrl-v sends character 0x16. ctrl-i sends a Tab character, etc.
• goldilocks: @DmitryGrigoryev You're right, it's the shell that converts it to a signal (although the kernel always has to do with keyboard, as it is the base handler and passes on the keycodes). Anyway...