enricobuehler
3c096835c2
Field triage on Nobara, 2026-08-09. Every connect degraded to ATTACH — which on that box mirrors a
game-mode session the host never configured, and looked like a black screen on every connect. The
host said:
the packaged pf-dm-helper polkit action is missing or was denied (reinstall the punktfunk
package, or install the display-manager polkit rule from the docs)
Every clause of that was wrong. The action was installed, `allow_any`, and its exec.path annotation
matched the installed helper; pkexec authorized it and RAN the helper. The helper refused, and said
exactly why:
pf-dm-helper: user 'nobara-user' is not in the 'punktfunk' group — refusing.
Grant it with: sudo usermod -aG punktfunk nobara-user (then re-login)
That text never reached the log, because `dm_helper` ran the helper with `.status()` — which
discards stderr and collapses the exit code to a bool. The one thing that would have ended the
investigation in seconds was thrown away at the call site, and the caller then guessed. Neither
suggested remedy adds anyone to a group, so a reader who followed both stayed broken and learned the
docs were useless. It fails soft, with no error and no failed unit, so nobody finds it on purpose.
Now: `.output()`, and four failure modes that stay distinguishable because they need different
fixes — helper not installed, pkexec could not run it, polkit denied it (pkexec's own 126/127), and
the helper ran and refused, whose stderr rides through VERBATIM rather than being re-described. Null
stdin too, so a pkexec that decides to prompt gets EOF instead of parking a stream thread on a tty
read.
The same gate gates the `linger` verb, so on a sessionless host an unjoined user fails there first —
carrying the reason there as well, or the misdiagnosis just moves one message earlier.
A new startup preflight says it before a stream is being built rather than during one, gated so it
cannot nag a box that would never attempt a takeover: not root, a display-manager alias exists, a
managed session launcher exists, a packaged helper exists, and the user is not in the group. It reads
membership from the user database rather than this process's groups, deliberately: that is what the
helper reads (it runs as root and resolves the caller from the database), so `usermod -aG` satisfies
the DM gate immediately and the warning stops. Using `getgroups()` would keep warning on a box where
the takeover already works.
Packaging said the group was for "the virtual Steam Deck pad (usbip)" — so anyone without a Deck pad
correctly skipped it and landed here by following instructions properly. All three scriptlets now
lead with Game Mode, name both grants, and record that creating the group is necessary and NOT
sufficient. Docs get the same treatment: the group is an admonition above the DM-flavor list in
gamescope.md, a black-screen entry in troubleshooting.md that tells the reader to read the quoted
reason FIRST, and the per-distro install pages no longer frame it as pad-only.
259 lines
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Markdown
259 lines
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Markdown
---
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title: Ubuntu
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description: Install the Punktfunk host on Ubuntu with apt.
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---
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Install a Punktfunk host on **Ubuntu** (Desktop or Server) from the apt registry. This
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page covers the distro-level setup — GPU driver, package, gamepad access. It works with either GNOME
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or KDE; how the host creates its virtual display and injects input is desktop-specific, so pick your
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desktop on the [configure pages](#configure-your-desktop) afterward rather than here.
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> New here? Read [Security & Safe Use](/docs/security) first — a streaming host is remote control of
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> the machine, so keep it on a trusted LAN or VPN and require pairing.
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> **Which releases.** There is one universal host package. It bundles FFmpeg 8 and needs **glibc 2.39
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> or newer** — that's **Ubuntu 24.04 LTS through 26.04**, the range it's built and tested for. Check
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> yours with `ldd --version`; below 2.39 the install fails and you build from source instead
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> ([appendix](#appendix--build-from-source)). The desktop *client* package is built on Ubuntu 26.04
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> and needs GTK4 ≥ 4.20 and SDL3, so it installs on **26.04 or newer** only — the host has no such
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> limit.
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> **Debian isn't a supported target.** The packages are built on Ubuntu images and their dependencies
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> are resolved against Ubuntu's package names, and nothing in CI builds or tests on Debian. Debian 12
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> (bookworm) is below the glibc floor and cannot install them at all. A newer Debian may work, but
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> it's untested — build from source ([appendix](#appendix--build-from-source)) if you want to try.
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> The `debian` in the repository URL below is the *package format*, not a supported distro.
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## 1. GPU driver
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On **NVIDIA**, install the recommended driver.
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```sh
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sudo ubuntu-drivers install # or: sudo apt install nvidia-driver-<version>
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```
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Then make sure the **GL/EGL userspace** is present — Wayland compositors on NVIDIA need it, and the
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base driver package doesn't always pull it in. Install the `libnvidia-gl` package matching your
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driver version:
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```sh
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sudo apt install libnvidia-gl-<version> # e.g. libnvidia-gl-550
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```
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Reboot, then confirm the driver and KMS modeset:
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```sh
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nvidia-smi
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cat /sys/module/nvidia_drm/parameters/modeset # should print Y
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```
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If modeset is not `Y`:
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```sh
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echo 'options nvidia-drm modeset=1' | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia-drm.conf
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sudo update-initramfs -u && sudo reboot
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```
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> **Secure Boot:** on a machine with Secure Boot **enabled**, the NVIDIA kernel module won't load
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> until you enrol its signing key. If `nvidia-smi` reports it can't talk to the driver, run
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> `sudo mokutil --import /var/lib/shim-signed/mok/MOK.der` (set a one-time password), reboot, and
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> choose **Enrol MOK** at the blue screen. Or disable Secure Boot in firmware.
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On **AMD/Intel** none of the NVIDIA steps apply. Encode runs on the Mesa stack: **Vulkan Video** for
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HEVC and AV1 (`mesa-vulkan-drivers`), with **VAAPI** for H.264 and as the fallback —
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`mesa-va-drivers` on AMD, `intel-media-va-driver` on Intel, both of which the `punktfunk-host`
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package recommends, so apt pulls the right one in with the host. Install `mesa-vulkan-drivers` too
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if it isn't already on the box.
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## 2. Install the host (apt)
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`punktfunk-host` is published as a `.deb` to the public Gitea apt registry, so the box installs and
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updates with plain `apt`. The registry is public — no auth needed, just trust its signing key:
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```sh
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sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
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curl -fsSL https://git.unom.io/api/packages/unom/debian/repository.key \
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| sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/punktfunk.asc >/dev/null
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echo "deb [signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/punktfunk.asc] https://git.unom.io/api/packages/unom/debian stable main" \
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| sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/punktfunk.list
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sudo apt update
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sudo apt install punktfunk-host
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```
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`punktfunk-host` `Recommends` the browser console (`punktfunk-web`), so apt pulls it in by default.
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The desktop *client* (`punktfunk-client`) is a separate package for the machine you stream *to* — not
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installed on a host. The NVIDIA driver is **not** a dependency — you installed it out of band in
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step 1. Later updates are just `sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade`, or, to move only Punktfunk,
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`sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade punktfunk-host`. Either way, restart the running
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host afterwards so it picks up the new binary:
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```sh
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systemctl --user restart punktfunk-host
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```
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A plain `apt upgrade` also moves `punktfunk-web` when a new console is out — restart that one too
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(`systemctl --user restart punktfunk-web`) if you run it.
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[Updating the Host](/docs/updating) covers the rest — the web console's **Updates** card, and the
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opt-in one-click update button whose `punktfunk-update` group this package creates.
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The `stable` component above is the stable channel. To track pre-release builds instead, see
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[Release Channels](/docs/channels).
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## 3. Grant gamepad access
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Virtual gamepads inject through `/dev/uinput`, which is gated by the `input` group. Add yourself and
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re-login so the new group membership takes effect:
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```sh
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sudo usermod -aG input "$USER" # re-login to apply
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```
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Also join `punktfunk` if **either** applies — you want the **virtual Steam Deck controller**
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(paddles, trackpads, gyro), or this box autologins into Steam **Gaming Mode** and you want the host
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to take that session over at the client's resolution. That pad reaches games as a real USB device
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over usbip — which is what makes Steam Input adopt it — and the same group authorizes the helper
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that stops the display manager for a takeover. It is deliberately separate from `input`, because
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writing the usbip `attach` file can materialise arbitrary emulated USB hardware:
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```sh
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sudo usermod -aG punktfunk "$USER" # re-login to apply
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```
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Join it only on a machine you trust. On a plain desktop host, skipping it costs you nothing but
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that one pad type; on a Gaming Mode box the takeover silently degrades to mirroring the box's own
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screen — see [gamescope](/docs/gamescope#nobara-and-other-autologin-display-managers).
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## 4. Check it installed
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Before moving on, confirm the binary is there and nothing else is competing for the same job:
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```sh
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punktfunk-host --version # the binary is on PATH
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punktfunk-host detect-conflicts # exits 1 if Sunshine/Apollo is also installed
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```
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If `detect-conflicts` reports another streaming host, remove it before going further — two hosts on
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one machine is the most common reason a clean install never streams. See
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[Troubleshooting → another streaming host is installed](/docs/troubleshooting#another-streaming-host-sunshine-apollo--is-installed).
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Once you've enabled the service on your desktop page below, these are how you watch it:
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```sh
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systemctl --user status punktfunk-host # active
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journalctl --user -u punktfunk-host -f # watch a client connect
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```
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## 5. Open the firewall (if you have one)
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Ubuntu installs `ufw` but leaves it **inactive**, so out of the box
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there is nothing to open. If you did enable one — common on Ubuntu Server — the package ships the
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openers for both, because a package never edits your firewall itself.
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The packaged unit runs `serve --gamestream` — the `.deb` installs it as it ships and only rewrites
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the binary path — so a host you enabled with `systemctl --user enable --now punktfunk-host` serves
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**both** the native `punktfunk/1` plane and stock [Moonlight](/docs/moonlight) clients, and needs
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**both** openers:
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```sh
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# ufw:
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sudo ufw allow punktfunk-native
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sudo ufw allow punktfunk-gamestream
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# firewalld:
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sudo firewall-cmd --reload # load the installed definitions
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sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=punktfunk-native
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sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=punktfunk-gamestream
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sudo firewall-cmd --reload
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```
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Switched the host to **native-only** — dropped `--gamestream` with a
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`systemctl --user edit punktfunk-host` drop-in, or you run `punktfunk-host serve` by hand? Then open
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`punktfunk-native` alone and leave `punktfunk-gamestream` closed. `systemctl --user cat
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punktfunk-host` shows which one yours is.
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`punktfunk-native` opens UDP 9777 (QUIC control), UDP 5353 (mDNS discovery) and TCP 47990 (the
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mgmt/library API — HTTPS + mTLS, read-only off loopback). `punktfunk-gamestream` opens the fixed
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Moonlight ports — TCP 47984, 47989 and 48010, UDP 47998–48000 — plus the same mDNS. The media
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**data plane** uses an ephemeral UDP port the client opens with a hole-punch, so there is nothing
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fixed to open for video.
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Running the web console (`punktfunk-web`) and want to reach it from another device? Open it too —
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that's **TCP 47992**:
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```sh
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sudo ufw allow punktfunk-web # ufw
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sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=punktfunk-web && sudo firewall-cmd --reload # firewalld
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```
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Full port lists are in
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[`packaging/debian/README.md`](https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk/src/branch/main/packaging/debian/README.md#firewall).
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## Configure your desktop
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How the host creates its virtual display and injects input depends on your desktop, not your distro.
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Continue on the page for the desktop you run — it covers your `host.env`, any compositor quirks, and
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starting the host:
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- [KDE Plasma (KWin)](/docs/kde)
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- [GNOME (Mutter)](/docs/gnome)
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- [Steam / gamescope](/docs/gamescope)
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- [Hyprland](/docs/hyprland)
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- [Sway / wlroots](/docs/sway)
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Then bring up [The Web Console](/docs/web-console) to arm pairing and connect your first
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[client](/docs/clients). To run the host at boot — including fully **headless** — see
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[Running as a Service](/docs/running-as-a-service).
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## Next steps
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- **Keep it current** — [Updating the Host](/docs/updating).
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- **Remove it again** — [Uninstalling](/docs/uninstall).
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- **Something not working?** — [Troubleshooting](/docs/troubleshooting).
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## Appendix — build from source
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If your release is older than the supported range above, or you want to track `main` directly,
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compile the host yourself (no clean updates / no packaged units — you wire those up by hand).
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Install the build toolchain and runtime libraries. The packaged host is built against **FFmpeg 8**:
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Ubuntu 26.04's `libavcodec-dev` is FFmpeg 8, but 24.04's is FFmpeg 6.1 — on 24.04 build FFmpeg 8
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yourself first (that's what `ci/rust-ci-noble.Dockerfile` does, and the shipped `.deb` bundles the
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result) or stick with the packaged host.
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```sh
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sudo apt install build-essential pkg-config cmake clang libclang-dev nasm git curl \
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pipewire pipewire-pulse wireplumber libpipewire-0.3-dev libspa-0.2-dev \
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libwayland-dev wayland-protocols libxkbcommon-dev libopus-dev \
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libdrm-dev libgbm-dev libgl-dev libegl-dev libgles-dev mesa-common-dev libva-dev \
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ffmpeg libavcodec-dev libavformat-dev libavutil-dev libswscale-dev libavfilter-dev libavdevice-dev \
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libnvidia-egl-wayland1 libnvidia-egl-gbm1 libei-dev
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```
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Install Rust if you don't have it, then build:
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```sh
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curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
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git clone https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk.git && cd punktfunk
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cargo build --release --locked \
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--features punktfunk-host/nvenc,punktfunk-host/vulkan-encode \
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-p punktfunk-host
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```
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Those two features are what the packaged build uses — without them the host has no direct NVENC
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(NVIDIA) and no Vulkan Video encode (AMD/Intel), and falls back to the slower libav backends.
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The host binary lands at `target/release/punktfunk-host`. Configure your desktop as above, then run
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it from inside your session:
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```sh
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cargo run --release --locked \
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--features punktfunk-host/nvenc,punktfunk-host/vulkan-encode \
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-p punktfunk-host -- serve --gamestream
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```
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(The native plane is always on; `--gamestream` adds the Moonlight-compat surface — trusted LAN only.
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Drop it for a secure native-only host.)
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