Files
enricobuehler 9e015304ee docs(dist): end-user install front door + serve/pairing/firewall accuracy fixes
Make the host docs match the real distribution path and the actual CLI. Reviewed by a
multi-agent pass (6 editors against one verified fact sheet + an accuracy reviewer); its
findings (a wrong client-Recommends claim, a native-concurrency overstatement) folded in.

- Install front door: new README "Install (host)" method-picker + docs-site/install.md
  (+ nav), routing each distro to its package registry; source build demoted to a fallback.
- Registry-first install: ubuntu-gnome/ubuntu-kde now lead with the apt registry (not a
  cargo build); bazzite leads with the Gitea RPM registry (was COPR/source). Source builds
  moved to an appendix.
- CLI accuracy: serve --native arms pairing from the web console (NOT --allow-pairing, which
  with --require-pairing/--max-concurrent is m3-host-only); --open disables mandatory pairing.
  host-cli/configuration/pairing/quickstart/troubleshooting corrected; mgmt API documented as
  always HTTPS+token. Native host serves one session at a time (extras queue) — not multi.
- Firewall: real ports documented (native UDP 9777 + the ephemeral data port caveat +
  GameStream ports) for Debian + Arch (ufw + nftables), not just Bazzite.
- Sync/accuracy: punktfunk-client (GTK4) presented as a shipping client (not "roadmap"),
  punktfunk-client-rs as the headless tool; host Recommends punktfunk-web only (not the
  client); COPR chroots f43/44; bootc header says Gitea registry not COPR.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-06-15 10:43:12 +00:00

3.1 KiB

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Configuration The host.env settings — compositor, resolution, bitrate, input — and how to tune them.

The host reads its settings from ~/.config/punktfunk/host.env (a simple KEY=value file). Your setup guide gives you a starting host.env for your desktop; this page is the reference.

Session settings

These tell the host which desktop session to attach to. Your setup guide sets them for you.

Setting What it does
WAYLAND_DISPLAY The Wayland socket of your session (wayland-0 for a normal desktop).
XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP Your desktop (GNOME, KDE).
XDG_RUNTIME_DIR, DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS Needed when the host runs outside your interactive session (e.g. as a service).

Core settings

Setting Values Meaning
PUNKTFUNK_COMPOSITOR mutter · kwin · gamescope · wlroots Which backend creates the virtual display. Match your desktop.
PUNKTFUNK_VIDEO_SOURCE virtual · portal virtual creates a per-client display at its exact mode (the normal choice). portal captures an existing monitor instead.
PUNKTFUNK_ZEROCOPY 1 · 0 GPU zero-copy capture→encode. Leave on; it falls back to a CPU path automatically.
PUNKTFUNK_INPUT_BACKEND libei · gamescope · wlr · uinput How input is injected. libei for GNOME/KDE, gamescope for Bazzite.

Resolution and refresh rate

You don't set these on the host — the client chooses them. When a device connects, the host creates a virtual display at that device's resolution and refresh rate. A 1080p60 laptop and a 1440p120 desktop each get their own. (With Moonlight, set the mode in Moonlight's settings; with the Apple app, it uses the device's display.)

Bitrate

The client requests a bitrate; the host encodes to it. To find a good value for your link:

  • Apple app: use the built-in speed test (a host card's menu → Test Network Speed). It measures your link and suggests a bitrate, then applies it.
  • Moonlight: set the bitrate in Moonlight's settings. Start moderate and raise it.

Multiple devices at once

Today the native punktfunk/1 host (serve --native) streams one session at a time — additional clients wait in the accept queue until the active session ends. Each session gets its own virtual display at the client's exact resolution; concurrent native sessions are on the roadmap.

(m3-host, the standalone test host, has a --max-concurrent N knob, default 4, bounded by your GPU's encoder — see the Host CLI reference — but serve --native does not take that flag.)

Codec and FEC

  • The host encodes HEVC (H.265) by default; AV1 is available for clients that support it.
  • The native protocol adds forward error correction for lossy links. PUNKTFUNK_FEC_PCT=N sets the redundancy percentage (the default is sensible for a normal LAN).

Diagnostics

  • PUNKTFUNK_PERF=1 logs per-stage timing (capture, encode, send) — handy when tuning latency.
  • RUST_LOG=info (or debug) controls log verbosity.