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CAN Interface Setup (Virtual CAN for the VM)

When developing on the VM without physical CAN hardware, we use a virtual CAN interface (vcan0).
This allows the dashboard software to communicate with a simulated CAN bus.

sudo ip link add dev vcan0 type vcan

Creates the Virtual CAN Interface

If the interface already exists, you may see: RTNETLINK answers: File exists

This simply means vcan0 was already created.

sudo ip link set up vcan0

Enables the Interface

Once enabled, the VM can send and receive CAN messages through vcan0.

ip link show vcan0

Verifys the Interface

• UP → the interface is active

• LOWER_UP → the link is operational

Fixing the Interface if the Dashboard Uses the Wrong CAN Device

Sometimes the dashboard software is configured to use: can0

instead of: vcan0

This will cause connection errors on the VM.

Example error: failed to connect to can device on interface can0

Step 1 — Check Available Interfaces

Run: ip link show

Look for: can0 vcan0

To check only the virtual interface: ip link show vcan0

Step 2 — Find the Interface Configuration

The dashboard reads the CAN interface from configuration files.

Common locations: ./build/config.ini or ./build/Desktop_Qt_6_8_4-Debug/config.ini

If unsure where the interface is defined, search for it.

Terminal search: grep -R "interface" .

Or in VS Code: Ctrl + Shift + F

Search for: interface

Step 3 — Open the Configuration File

Example: nano ./build/config.ini or nano ./build/Desktop_Qt_6_8_4-Debug/config.ini

Step 4 — Change the Interface

Inside the file you may see: interface = can or interface = can0

Change it to: interface = vcan0

This tells the dashboard to connect to the virtual CAN bus.

Step 5 — Save the File

Step 6 — Check Other Config Files

If multiple config files exist, update them all.

Common files: ./build/config.ini and ./build/Desktop_Qt_6_8_4-Debug/config.ini

Each should contain: interface = vcan0

Step 7 — Restart the Dashboard

After saving the changes, restart the dashboard software so it reads the updated configuration.