One-command installer that sets up Sunshine + a virtual X11 display on NVIDIA DGX Spark (GB10), so you can stream the desktop with Moonlight without a monitor attached.

git clone https://github.com/seanGSISG/dgx-spark-sunshine-setup.git
cd dgx-spark-sunshine-setup
./install.sh
sudo reboot
./after-install.sh

Then open Sunshine Web UI and pair Moonlight:

• https://<YOUR_DGX_IP>:47990
• Moonlight client: https://moonlight-stream.org

• Creates backups in ~/.sunshine-setup-backups/
• Installs Sunshine (ARM64 .deb)
• Installs EDID to /etc/X11/4k120.edid
• Generates /etc/X11/xorg.conf using NVIDIA CustomEDID
• Writes Sunshine config to ~/.config/sunshine/sunshine.conf
• Installs a systemd user service for Sunshine
• Optionally enables autostart and attempts to enable lingering (sudo loginctl enable-linger $(whoami))
• Optionally offers to install/configure Tailscale

• DGX Spark (GB10), Ubuntu 24.04
• X11 desktop session on the DGX (Sunshine captures an X session on :0)
  • For headless operation, you typically need desktop auto-login so a session exists after reboot

GB10 has a ~165 MHz pixel clock limit. Practical impact: 4K@120Hz won't work; 4K@60Hz and 1440p@120Hz do.

dgx-spark-sunshine-setup/
├── install.sh              # Main installation script
├── after-install.sh        # Post-reboot configuration
├── uninstall.sh            # Removal script
├── setup.md                # Detailed setup guide
├── edid/                   # EDID files for virtual displays
├── img/                    # Documentation images
└── templates/              # Configuration templates
    ├── xorg.conf.template
    ├── sunshine.conf.template
    ├── sunshine.service
    ├── sunshine-override.conf
    ├── tailscale-autoconnect.service
    └── tailscale-autoconnect.env.template

This setup uses NVIDIA's proprietary CustomEDID option in xorg.conf to create a virtual display without a physical monitor. The EDID (Extended Display Identification Data) file tells the GPU what resolutions and refresh rates the "monitor" supports.

Key differences from other approaches:

• No kernel parameters needed - Works with NVIDIA's proprietary driver
• No dummy HDMI plug required - Completely virtual
• Persistent across reboots - Configured in X11, not runtime

Sunshine is configured to use NVIDIA's NVENC hardware encoder, which:

• Offloads video encoding from CPU to dedicated GPU hardware
• Achieves high quality at high bitrates with minimal performance impact
• Supports HEVC, H.264, and AV1 codecs
• Uses negligible VRAM (~100-200 MB)

When idle (not streaming):

• CPU: ~0%
• GPU: ~0%
• Memory: ~100 MB

When actively streaming 1440p @ 120Hz:

• CPU: ~5-10% (one core)
• GPU: ~10-20% (encoding only)
• Memory: ~200 MB
• Network: Based on your selected bitrate

The Sunshine user service needs access to your X session. Don't hardcode XAUTHORITY in the systemd override; instead, export it into the systemd user manager at session start:

dbus-update-activation-environment --systemd DISPLAY XAUTHORITY
systemctl --user show-environment | grep -E 'DISPLAY|XAUTHORITY'

If you want it to run every login, ~/.xprofile is a simple option on many desktops.

During install you can choose to install Tailscale.

• The installer can enable tailscaled and optionally run sudo tailscale up
• It can also install an optional boot-time unit templates/tailscale-autoconnect.service that runs tailscale up on boot
  • Default is safe: it does not disable DNS and does not include tags
  • If you want Tailscale SSH later, set TS_UP_EXTRA_ARGS="--ssh" in /etc/default/tailscale-autoconnect

See setup.md for a step-by-step guide for:

• Configuring everything from another computer via SSH
• Configuring using only an iPad (Moonlight + Safari + SSH)

systemctl --user status sunshine
journalctl --user -u sunshine -n 200 --no-pager

• Ensure a graphical session exists on the DGX (DISPLAY=:0). If nobody logs in, there may be nothing to capture
• Ensure the systemd user environment has XAUTHORITY:

systemctl --user show-environment | grep -E 'DISPLAY|XAUTHORITY'

Systemd user services may require lingering.

sudo loginctl enable-linger $(whoami)
loginctl show-user $(whoami) --property=Linger

Policy note: loginctl enable-linger is governed by PolicyKit (org.freedesktop.login1.set-user-linger). If PolicyKit is missing/restrictive, it may fail with "Access denied"; sudo loginctl ... is the fallback.

If streaming is choppy or low quality:

# Check GPU utilization
nvidia-smi

# Monitor encoding performance
journalctl --user -u sunshine -f | grep -i "encoder\|fps"

# Adjust bitrate in ~/.config/sunshine/sunshine.conf
# Lower bitrate for unstable connections
# Increase bitrate for LAN with stable gigabit connection

If you forgot Sunshine username/password:

# Stop Sunshine
systemctl --user stop sunshine

# Remove credentials file
rm ~/.config/sunshine/sunshine_state.json

# Start Sunshine
systemctl --user start sunshine

# Reconfigure at https://localhost:47990

curl -k https://localhost:47990
sudo ufw status

All backups are automatically created in ~/.sunshine-setup-backups/ with timestamps:

~/.sunshine-setup-backups/YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS/
├── xorg.conf                    # Original X11 configuration
├── *.edid                       # Original EDID files
├── sunshine/                    # Original Sunshine configuration
└── sunshine-override.conf       # Original systemd override

To restore a backup:

# Navigate to backup directory
cd ~/.sunshine-setup-backups/YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS/

# Restore xorg.conf
sudo cp xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf

# Restore Sunshine config
cp -r sunshine/* ~/.config/sunshine/

# Reboot
sudo reboot

If the bundled Samsung Q800T EDID doesn't work for your use case:

1. Extract EDID from your monitor (on another system):

   # Linux
   cat /sys/class/drm/card0-HDMI-A-1/edid > my-monitor.bin
   
   # Windows (use tools like Custom Resolution Utility)

2. Run installer and select "custom EDID" option

3. Provide path to your .bin file

Note: Custom EDIDs must respect GB10's 165 MHz pixel clock limitation.

To change resolution, codec, or bitrate after installation:

1. Edit ~/.config/sunshine/sunshine.conf
2. Restart Sunshine:

   systemctl --user restart sunshine

For display resolution changes, you'll need to:

1. Obtain a compatible EDID file
2. Replace /etc/X11/4k120.edid
3. Reboot

Run the uninstaller as your normal user (do not run it under sudo):

./uninstall.sh

Or manually remove the installation:

# Stop and disable Sunshine
systemctl --user stop sunshine
systemctl --user disable sunshine

# Remove Sunshine
sudo apt-get remove sunshine

# Restore original configurations from backup
cd ~/.sunshine-setup-backups/YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS/
sudo cp xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf

# Reboot
sudo reboot

This is a community project for DGX Spark users. Contributions welcome!

Please include:

• DGX OS version (cat /etc/dgx-release)
• NVIDIA driver version (nvidia-smi)
• Selected configuration (resolution, codec, bitrate)
• Relevant logs (journalctl --user -u sunshine)

Improvements to the installer, documentation, or EDID files are welcome.

• Sunshine GitHub: https://github.com/LizardByte/Sunshine
• Sunshine Docs: https://docs.lizardbyte.dev/projects/sunshine/
• Moonlight: https://moonlight-stream.org
• NVIDIA DGX Spark: https://docs.nvidia.com/dgx/dgx-spark/

• DGX Spark Playbooks: https://github.com/NVIDIA/dgx-spark-playbooks
• DGX Spark Portal: https://build.nvidia.com/spark

• Linux TV EDID Repository: https://git.linuxtv.org/v4l-utils.git/tree/utils/edid-decode/data
• EDID Decode Tool: apt-get install edid-decode

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

• Sunshine/Moonlight Team - For the excellent streaming protocol
• NVIDIA - For DGX Spark hardware and driver support
• Linux TV Project - For the EDID database
• Community Contributors - For testing and feedback