enricobuehler
f85d51b9f9
SteamOS is immutable read-only Arch, and the Deck is AMD (VAAPI) — so none of the checked-in packaging (arch/sysext is NVENC-first + client-oriented, deb/rpm are soname-mismatched) actually installs a working host on a Steam Deck. The proven path (distrobox-built native binary + systemd-run units) was 100% manual. Make it one command. - scripts/steamdeck/install.sh — idempotent installer: ensure the pf2 Debian-trixie distrobox + toolchain → build host (+web console) → write config (generated web login password) → raise UDP buffers to 32 MB + udev + input group (sudo, skipped gracefully if unavailable) → install + start punktfunk-host / punktfunk-web systemd USER services with linger. Flags: --open (accept unpaired clients), --no-web, --src=DIR. Builds on-device so a rebuild always matches the running SteamOS (no prebuilt-binary fragility across OS updates); VAAPI on the Deck's AMD GPU. - scripts/steamdeck/update.sh — rebuild from current source + restart (config/pairings persist). - scripts/steamdeck/README.md — deep reference (why on-device, what's installed, gotchas). - docs-site: new "Steam Deck (Host)" guide + sidebar entry; install.md splits Arch from the Steam Deck host path; packaging/arch/README points Deck-host users here and corrects the stale "NVENC-only" note (VAAPI host encode landed). Live-validated on the Deck: installer runs clean, both services come up, host listens (QUIC :9777 + mgmt :47990), web serves (302→login); on a client connect it takes over the Game-Mode gamescope session at the client's mode, captures via PipeWire, and VAAPI-encodes (hevc_vaapi) — full pipeline confirmed in the host journal. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
109 lines
4.8 KiB
Markdown
109 lines
4.8 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: "Steam Deck (Host)"
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description: "Run a punktfunk host on a Steam Deck — stream its Game Mode (or desktop) to your other devices. One script, built on-device for SteamOS."
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---
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This is for using a **Steam Deck as the host** — streaming *from* it to a laptop, TV, phone, or
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another Deck. (For the usual case — streaming *to* a Deck — see [Install a Client](/docs/install-client),
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which uses the Flatpak + Decky plugin.)
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SteamOS is an immutable, read-only Arch base, so the host isn't a system package. Instead a single
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script builds the host **natively inside a Debian-trixie distrobox** (ABI-matched to SteamOS's
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FFmpeg/glibc — the binary then runs natively on SteamOS) and wires it up as systemd user services.
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Building on-device means a rebuild always matches the running OS, so a SteamOS update can't leave you
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with a binary linked against the wrong libraries. Encode is **VAAPI** on the Deck's AMD GPU
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(auto-detected; NVENC on NVIDIA).
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> **Heads up:** the Deck's WiFi *tx* tops out around ~250 Mbps of goodput regardless of band (it's a
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> hardware/driver packet-rate limit, not bandwidth) — plenty for 1080p/1440p60, not 4K. A wired dock
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> lifts that. See [Configuration](/docs/configuration) for bitrate guidance.
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## Prerequisites
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- A Steam Deck on **SteamOS 3** (LCD or OLED). Steady WiFi or, better, a wired dock.
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- **distrobox** installed (no root needed). If `distrobox` isn't found:
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```sh
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curl -sfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/89luca89/distrobox/main/install | sh -s -- --prefix ~/.local
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```
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Make sure `~/.local/bin` is on your `PATH` (re-open the terminal).
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- The first build downloads a container image + toolchain (~1 GB) and takes ~10–15 minutes. Later
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rebuilds are incremental.
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## 1. Get the source
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In Desktop Mode open **Konsole** (or ssh in), then:
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```sh
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git clone https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk ~/punktfunk
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```
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## 2. Run the installer
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```sh
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bash ~/punktfunk/scripts/steamdeck/install.sh
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```
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It is idempotent — safe to re-run. In one pass it:
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1. creates the `pf2` Debian-trixie distrobox and installs the build toolchain,
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2. builds `punktfunk-host` (and the web console),
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3. writes config to `~/.config/punktfunk/` (a generated web-console login password),
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4. raises the UDP socket buffers to 32 MB and adds you to the `input` group (needs `sudo`; skipped
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with a warning if unavailable),
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5. installs + starts the `punktfunk-host` and `punktfunk-web` **systemd user services** (with linger,
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so they run without a login session).
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Useful flags:
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| Flag | Effect |
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|------|--------|
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| `--open` | Accept **unpaired** clients (trust-on-first-use) — convenient on a fully trusted LAN. Default is PIN pairing required. |
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| `--no-web` | Skip the management web console. |
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| `--src=DIR` | Build from source at `DIR` instead of `~/punktfunk`. |
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When it finishes it prints the web-console URL and how to pair.
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## 3. Pair a device
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By default the host **requires PIN pairing** (secure). Two ways to pair:
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- **Web console** (printed at the end of step 2): open `http://<deck-ip>:3000`, log in with the
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generated password (in `~/.config/punktfunk/web.env`), go to **Devices → arm pairing**, and enter
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the PIN on your client.
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- **From the client directly**: pick this Deck (it advertises over mDNS as `_punktfunk._udp`) and
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enter the PIN the host shows.
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On a trusted home LAN you can instead install with `--open` and skip pairing entirely.
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## 4. Verify
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```sh
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systemctl --user status punktfunk-host # active (running)
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journalctl --user -u punktfunk-host -f # watch a client connect
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```
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Connect from any client ([Moonlight](/docs/moonlight) or a [native client](/docs/clients)). In Game
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Mode the host attaches to the running gamescope session and streams it at your client's resolution; in
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Desktop Mode it streams the KDE desktop. The host auto-detects which session is live per connection.
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## Updating
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After pulling new source, rebuild and restart in one step (config + pairings persist):
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```sh
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git -C ~/punktfunk pull # or rsync new source in
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bash ~/punktfunk/scripts/steamdeck/update.sh
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```
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## Notes & limits
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- **Single session at a time** at custom resolutions — two clients requesting different modes will
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thrash the managed session. Pick one mode per session.
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- **Keep the Deck awake.** Game Mode auto-suspends on idle, which drops the host off the network mid
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stream — disable auto-suspend (Settings → Power) for a headless host.
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- **It survives OS updates**, but a major SteamOS bump can move library versions; if the host fails to
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start after an update, just re-run `update.sh` to rebuild against the new base.
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- Deeper reference (services, container, manual steps): [`scripts/steamdeck/README.md`](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/scripts/steamdeck/README.md).
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Trouble? See [Troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting) and [Pairing](/docs/pairing).
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