enricobuehler
69fcb6e0b1
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>
6.6 KiB
title, description
| title | description |
|---|---|
| SteamOS (Host) | Run a punktfunk host on SteamOS — stream its Game Mode (or desktop) to your other devices. One script, built on-device and ABI-matched to SteamOS. |
This is for using a SteamOS device as the host — streaming from it to a laptop, TV, phone, or another device. (For the usual case — streaming to a Steam Deck — see Install a Client, which uses the Flatpak + Decky plugin.)
We support SteamOS as a host mainly with an eye to the upcoming Steam Machine — a living-room, desktop-class SteamOS box is a natural always-on streaming host. The Steam Deck is the SteamOS device we can test on today, so it's what these instructions are validated against; the same on-device build works on any SteamOS 3 system.
New here? Read Security & Safe Use first — a streaming host is remote control of the machine, so keep it on a trusted LAN or VPN and require pairing.
SteamOS is an immutable, read-only Arch base, so the host isn't a system package. Instead a single script builds the host natively inside a Debian-trixie distrobox (ABI-matched to SteamOS's FFmpeg/glibc — the binary then runs natively on SteamOS) and wires it up as systemd user services. Building on-device means a rebuild always matches the running OS, so a SteamOS update can't leave you with a binary linked against the wrong libraries. Encode is VAAPI on the AMD GPU (auto-detected; NVENC on NVIDIA).
Heads up: in our testing the Steam Deck's WiFi tx topped out around ~250 Mbps of goodput regardless of band — enough for 1080p/1440p60, not 4K. This looked like a hardware/driver packet-rate limit rather than a bandwidth ceiling, but it's one device measured on one network: other SteamOS hardware, newer drivers, or a less congested band may do better. A wired dock sidesteps it entirely. See Configuration for bitrate guidance.
Prerequisites
- A SteamOS device on SteamOS 3 (e.g. a Steam Deck, LCD or OLED). Steady WiFi or, better, a wired dock.
- distrobox installed (no root needed). If
distroboxisn't found:Make surecurl -sfL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/89luca89/distrobox/main/install | sh -s -- --prefix ~/.local~/.local/binis on yourPATH(re-open the terminal). - The first build downloads a container image + toolchain (~1 GB) and takes ~10–15 minutes. Later rebuilds are incremental.
1. Get the source
In Desktop Mode open Konsole (or ssh in), then:
git clone https://git.unom.io/unom/punktfunk ~/punktfunk
2. Run the installer
bash ~/punktfunk/scripts/steamdeck/install.sh
It is idempotent — safe to re-run. In one pass it:
- creates the
pf2Debian-trixie distrobox and installs the build toolchain, - builds
punktfunk-host(and the web console), - writes config to
~/.config/punktfunk/(a generated web-console login password), - raises the UDP socket buffers to 32 MB and adds you to the
inputgroup (needssudo; skipped with a warning if unavailable), - installs + starts the
punktfunk-hostandpunktfunk-websystemd user services (with linger, so they run without a login session).
Useful flags:
| Flag | Effect |
|---|---|
--open |
Accept unpaired clients (trust-on-first-use) — convenient on a fully trusted LAN. Default is PIN pairing required. |
--no-gamestream |
Run a secure native-only host — skip the GameStream/Moonlight-compat planes (see below). Default keeps them on so stock Moonlight works. |
--no-web |
Skip the management web console. |
--src=DIR |
Build from source at DIR instead of ~/punktfunk. |
When it finishes it prints the web-console URL and how to pair.
GameStream/Moonlight compat is on by default. The native
punktfunk/1plane (used by punktfunk's own clients — SPAKE2 PIN pairing, per-direction AEAD) is always on and is the secure path. The installer also enables the GameStream/Moonlight-compat planes so stock Moonlight works — but those carry inherent on-path weaknesses (pairing over plain HTTP; legacy control encryption that can reuse GCM nonces), so enable them only on a trusted LAN. If you only ever use native clients, install with--no-gamestreamfor a host with no GameStream surface at all.
3. Pair a device
By default the host requires PIN pairing (secure). Two ways to pair:
- Web console (printed at the end of step 2): open
http://<device-ip>:47992, arm pairing, and enter the PIN on your client. - From the client directly: pick this host (it advertises over mDNS as
_punktfunk._udp) and enter the PIN the host shows.
On a trusted home LAN you can instead install with --open and skip pairing entirely.
Console login password
The installer generates a random console login password (printed at the end of step 2) and writes it
to ~/.config/punktfunk/web.env. To read it back or set your own, see
The Web Console.
4. Verify
systemctl --user status punktfunk-host # active (running)
journalctl --user -u punktfunk-host -f # watch a client connect
Connect from a native client, or from Moonlight (unless you
installed with --no-gamestream). In Game Mode the host attaches to the running gamescope session and
streams it at your client's resolution; in Desktop Mode it streams the KDE desktop. The host
auto-detects which session is live per connection. See Steam / gamescope for the
attach-vs-managed detail and known limits.
Updating
After pulling new source, rebuild and restart in one step (config + pairings persist):
git -C ~/punktfunk pull # or rsync new source in
bash ~/punktfunk/scripts/steamdeck/update.sh
Notes & limits
- Single session at a time at custom resolutions — two clients requesting different modes will thrash the managed session. Pick one mode per session.
- Keep the device awake. On handhelds, Game Mode auto-suspends on idle, which drops the host off the network mid stream — disable auto-suspend (Settings → Power) for a headless host.
- It survives OS updates, but a major SteamOS bump can move library versions; if the host fails to
start after an update, just re-run
update.shto rebuild against the new base. - Deeper reference (services, container, manual steps):
scripts/steamdeck/README.md.
Trouble? See Troubleshooting and Pairing.