Install packages

Prebuilt native packages let you install nl6 with your system package manager and run it as a managed systemd service — no Go toolchain or source checkout required.

Platform	Format	Package manager
Debian, Ubuntu	`.deb`	`apt`
CentOS Stream, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux	`.rpm`	`dnf`
NixOS	flake	`nix`

Both amd64 and arm64 builds are published. The .deb/.rpm packages are attached to each GitHub Release; NixOS consumes the flake directly from the repository.

What the package installs

Path	Contents
`/usr/bin/nl6`	the simulator binary
`/usr/share/nl6/resources/`	device resource data (SNMP/SSH/REST)
`/usr/share/nl6/web/`	web console assets
`/usr/lib/systemd/system/nl6.service`	the systemd unit
`/etc/nl6/nl6.conf`	flag file (`NL6_OPTS`), preserved across upgrades

Runtime requirements

The simulator runs as root — it creates TUN interfaces, manages the nl6sim network namespace, and installs an iptables rule. The iproute2 (ip), iptables, and procps (sysctl) dependencies are pulled in automatically by apt/dnf.

Debian / Ubuntu (`.deb`)

Tested on Debian 13 and Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (amd64 and arm64).

Download the .deb for your architecture from the latest release — nl6_<version>_amd64.deb or nl6_<version>_arm64.deb.
Install it (the leading ./ tells apt it is a local file, so it still resolves dependencies):
```
sudo apt install ./nl6_<version>_amd64.deb
```
Continue with Configure and start the service.

CentOS Stream / Rocky / AlmaLinux (`.rpm`)

Tested on CentOS Stream 10, Rocky Linux 10, and AlmaLinux 10 (amd64 and arm64).

Download the .rpm for your architecture from the latest release — nl6-<version>-1.x86_64.rpm or nl6-<version>-1.aarch64.rpm.

Install it:

sudo dnf install ./nl6-<version>-1.x86_64.rpm

Continue with Configure and start the service.

Configure and start the service

The package installs the nl6 systemd unit but does not enable or start it automatically — the simulator needs root and operator-chosen flags first. These steps are the same on Debian/Ubuntu and the RHEL family.

Set the flags. NL6_OPTS is passed verbatim to nl6; see the CLI flags reference for the full list.

sudoedit /etc/nl6/nl6.conf

# /etc/nl6/nl6.conf
NL6_OPTS="-port 8080 -auto-start-ip 10.42.0.1 -auto-count 100"

Enable on boot and start now:
```
sudo systemctl enable --now nl6
```

Verify it is running:

systemctl status nl6
journalctl -u nl6 -f                 # follow logs
nl6 -version                         # prints the installed version
curl -s localhost:8080/api/v1/version

After editing /etc/nl6/nl6.conf, apply changes with sudo systemctl restart nl6.

Running without the service

nl6 loads resources/ and web/ relative to its working directory, so to run it by hand (instead of via the service) start it from the data directory:

cd /usr/share/nl6 && sudo nl6 -port 8080

Upgrading and removing

# Upgrade (a running service is restarted automatically onto the new binary)
sudo apt install ./nl6_<new-version>_amd64.deb     # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf upgrade ./nl6-<new-version>-1.x86_64.rpm   # RHEL family

# Remove (your /etc/nl6/nl6.conf is left in place)
sudo apt remove nl6                                 # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf remove nl6                                 # RHEL family

NixOS (flake)

nl6 ships a flake exposing a package and a NixOS module. The recommended way to run it on NixOS is the module — it's fully declarative, needs no cachix CLI, and (with the cache below) installs the prebuilt binary instead of compiling.

Add the flake input, the binary cache, and the service to your system flake. Because your system is already flake-based, no experimental-feature flags or extra tools are needed:

{
  inputs.nl6.url = "github:labmonkeys-space/nl6?dir=deploy/packages/nix";

  outputs = { self, nixpkgs, nl6 }: {
    nixosConfigurations.myhost = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
      system = "x86_64-linux";
      modules = [
        nl6.nixosModules.nl6
        {
          # Prebuilt binary cache — substitutes instead of compiling.
          # System-level settings are trusted, so no `cachix use` needed.
          nix.settings = {
            substituters = [ "https://nl6.cachix.org" ];
            trusted-public-keys = [ "nl6.cachix.org-1:nfaq8JEbMcARjzc/oPyNIrcQrXKe13phUtMg0RucnLA=" ];
          };
          services.nl6 = {
            enable = true;
            extraFlags = [ "-port" "8080" "-auto-start-ip" "10.42.0.1" "-auto-count" "100" ];
          };
        }
      ];
    };
  };
}

Rebuild: sudo nixos-rebuild switch. The service is now managed by systemd (systemctl status nl6).

Building the binary imperatively (optional)

To build or run the package directly with the nix CLI, that CLI needs the nix-command and flakes experimental features. If you see experimental Nix feature 'nix-command' is disabled, enable them — in configuration.nix:

nix.settings.experimental-features = [ "nix-command" "flakes" ];

then sudo nixos-rebuild switch (or, for a one-off, prepend nix --extra-experimental-features 'nix-command flakes' …). After that:

nix build "github:labmonkeys-space/nl6?dir=deploy/packages/nix#nl6" --accept-flake-config

--accept-flake-config lets Nix use the cache the flake advertises — but only for trusted users (root or trusted-users). If you are not trusted, use the declarative nix.settings cache from step 1 instead.

Building the packages yourself

If a release does not yet carry packages for your platform, or you want to build from a specific commit, produce them locally with make packages (needs Go; nfpm is fetched automatically):

make packages          # → dist/*.deb and dist/*.rpm for amd64 + arm64

Full packaging reference — layout, nfpm.yaml, the NixOS flake/module, the Cachix cache, and the container-based install smoke test — lives in deploy/packages/README.md.

What the package installs​

Debian / Ubuntu (.deb)​

CentOS Stream / Rocky / AlmaLinux (.rpm)​

Configure and start the service​

Upgrading and removing​

NixOS (flake)​

Building the binary imperatively (optional)​

Building the packages yourself​

See also​