Instructions for using Alpha arduino on Ubuntu? Can get board info but can’t upload

Are there any guidelines on using the onboard Alpha arduino (on Unbuntu 18.04)

I can successfully get the board information through the Arduino IDE, so I know the port is right and some form of comms works, but I can’t get an upload to work. I get a variety of communication failures.

I’ve tried the trick of resetting the arduino immediately after initiating upload, but that doesn’t work.