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Split the docs' single distro×desktop axis (ubuntu-gnome / ubuntu-kde / fedora-kde) into two,
which deduplicates the shared mechanics and scales to distros that run several desktops (Arch):
- Install the host — per distro/OS (ubuntu, fedora, arch, bazzite, steamos-host, windows-host):
GPU driver + package + input group, then a canonical "Configure your desktop" funnel.
- Configure your desktop — per compositor (kde, gnome, gamescope, sway): host.env, compositor
quirks, the headless session, and starting the host.
New shared web-console page (enable · login password · arm pairing) removes the console/password
block that was copy-pasted across all seven host pages. Merged ubuntu-gnome + ubuntu-kde into
ubuntu; renamed fedora-kde to fedora; kept bazzite and steamos-host as dedicated appliance guides
(trimmed of duplication). Moved the KWin headless session, the GNOME EGL/lock traps, and the
gamescope attach/managed model out of the distro pages onto their compositor pages.
Fixed while restructuring: distro-specific paths on kde (kde-desktop-setup.sh is Fedora/Bazzite-only;
the .deb ships host.env.kde under /usr/share/punktfunk-host), the interactive "start the host" step
that was lost in the merge, sway over-claiming Hyprland, and a pre-existing broken anchor in
how-it-works.
Removal of the three old pages was captured by the preceding commit 8ebb614 (a concurrent commit
swept up the staged git-rm); the net docs tree is correct. Fumadocs build + internal link/anchor
check green.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
90 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
90 lines
4.6 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Requirements
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description: What you need to run a punktfunk host — GPU, driver, desktop, and network.
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---
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## Supported setups
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A punktfunk host runs primarily on a Linux machine with a dedicated GPU — NVIDIA (NVENC) is the
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most-exercised path, and AMD/Intel GPUs work via VAAPI. A native [Windows host](/docs/windows-host)
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is also available. Setup splits along two axes: you **install** the package per distro, then
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**configure** the host — and learn its quirks — per desktop/compositor.
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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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**Distros — install the package:**
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- [Ubuntu / Debian](/docs/ubuntu)
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- [Fedora](/docs/fedora)
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- [Arch](/docs/arch)
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- [Bazzite](/docs/bazzite)
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- [SteamOS](/docs/steamos-host)
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**Desktops — configure and quirks:**
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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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- [Sway / wlroots](/docs/sway)
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Pick your distro to install, then your desktop to configure — the two are independent. Other
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wlroots compositors (Hyprland) work but aren't a primary target; the host still needs one of these
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compositor backends to create a virtual display.
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> **Windows host:** punktfunk also runs as a native host on **Windows 11 22H2 or newer (x64)** — a
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> signed installer that registers a service and bundles a virtual-display driver (whose driver-
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> framework needs make 22H2 the hard floor — Windows 10 is not supported). It encodes on NVIDIA
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> (NVENC), AMD (AMF), or Intel (QSV), with a software fallback, and is newer than the Linux host; see
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> [Windows Host](/docs/windows-host).
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## GPU and driver
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- **An NVIDIA GPU** with NVENC — effectively any GeForce RTX or workstation card. NVENC is what
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encodes the video in hardware.
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- **NVIDIA driver 535 or newer** (550+ recommended). The driver must include the **GL/EGL userspace**,
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not just `nvidia-utils` — without it the compositor can't initialise the GPU and capture fails. Each
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install guide installs the right package (e.g. `libnvidia-gl-<version>` on Ubuntu).
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- **`nvidia-drm modeset=1`** must be enabled (Wayland on NVIDIA needs it). The install guides cover this.
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- **AMD / Intel GPUs** encode via **VAAPI** instead (install `mesa-va-drivers` or
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`intel-media-driver`; validated live on AMD RDNA3). The NVIDIA-specific notes above don't apply
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there. On modern Intel (Gen12/Tiger Lake and newer, including Arc) the driver only offers the
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**low-power (VDEnc)** encode entrypoint — the host detects this and falls back automatically
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(`PUNKTFUNK_VAAPI_LOW_POWER=1|0` pins it) — and low-power encode needs the **HuC firmware**
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loaded (the kernel default on those platforms; check `dmesg | grep -i huc` if encoding fails).
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A GPU-less software H.264 encoder also exists (`PUNKTFUNK_ENCODER=software`), meant as a
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fallback rather than a daily driver.
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> Consumer GeForce cards historically cap the number of **concurrent** NVENC sessions (a few at once);
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> workstation cards don't. This only matters if you stream to many devices simultaneously.
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## Desktop session
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The host attaches to a **Wayland** desktop session and creates virtual displays in it, so a session
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needs to be running for the user the host runs as. This can be:
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- a **normal logged-in desktop** (you're sitting at the machine, or it auto-logs-in), or
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- a **headless session** that comes up at boot with no monitor or login — see
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[Running as a Service](/docs/running-as-a-service).
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Minimum compositor versions (newer is fine):
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- **KWin ≥ 6.5.6** ([KDE Plasma](/docs/kde)) — headless virtual outputs.
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- **GNOME ≥ 48** ([Mutter](/docs/gnome)) — virtual-monitor screen-cast.
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- **gamescope ≥ 3.16.22** ([Bazzite/Steam](/docs/gamescope)) — older versions deadlock during capture.
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## Network
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- Host and client on the **same network** — a LAN, or a VPN that puts them on one subnet. punktfunk
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assumes a trusted local network; it's **not built to be exposed to the public internet — don't
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port-forward it.** To stream from outside your home, use a VPN so the remote client is on the same
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private subnet.
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- For best results, a wired or fast Wi-Fi link. The host can run a built-in **speed test** to pick a
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bitrate for your link (see [Configuration](/docs/configuration)).
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## A client
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You also need something to stream *to* — see [Connect a Client](/docs/clients). There are native
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punktfunk clients for **Apple (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS), Linux, Windows, and Android**, and any
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Moonlight client works too. All of them can discover the host on your network automatically.
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