Prepare Docker and networking

Prepare Docker, verify host resources, and check registry access before installing Core or Full.

Use this page for a fresh installation. For an existing deployment, start with Operations, repair, and upgrades.

Supported hosts

Linux x86_64 or ARM64.
macOS Intel or Apple Silicon using Docker Desktop's Linux containers.
Native Windows installation is not supported.
Plan separately for local model compute, memory, and GPUs.

Install Docker

On Linux, install Docker Engine and the Compose plugin from the Docker official guide. On macOS, install Docker Desktop using the steps below.

Configure Docker Desktop on macOS

Open Apple menu → About This Mac and confirm the chip and memory. Download the matching Apple silicon or Intel build from Docker Desktop for Mac.
Open Docker.dmg, move Docker into Applications, and launch it. Wait until Docker Engine is running.
Open Settings → Resources → Advanced and allocate resources for the selected edition.
Select Apply & Restart and wait for Docker Engine to restart. This briefly stops other local containers.
Reopen Terminal if needed. Install LinkSense with your current macOS account, without sudo.

Docker Desktop resource	Core	Full
CPU	At least 4	At least 8
Memory	Start with 10–12 GB	Prefer 24 GB or more
Disk	At least 60 GiB available	At least 120 GiB available

The memory limit is a maximum, while LinkSense preflight checks the memory Docker Engine can actually use. On a 16 GiB Mac, start with Core. A Full evaluation should generally use a 32 GiB or larger Mac.

docker info --format '{{.NCPU}} {{.MemTotal}}' |
  awk '{printf "CPUs=%s\nDocker memory=%.2f GiB\n", $1, $2 / 1024 / 1024 / 1024}'

Check the host

Run:

uname -s
uname -m
docker version
docker compose version
docker info --format 'CPUs={{.NCPU}} MemoryBytes={{.MemTotal}} DockerRoot={{.DockerRootDir}}'
curl --version
df -h

Confirm:

The system is Linux or Darwin, with an x86_64, aarch64, or arm64 architecture.
docker version includes Server and reports API version 1.45 or later.
Docker Compose is version 2.24.4 or later.
curl works and the host or Docker VM has enough memory and disk space.

Full on x86_64 also requires x86-64-v2. The operations guide provides diagnostics and VM CPU configuration examples.

Check image downloads

Terminal downloads and Docker Engine registry pulls use separate network paths. After downloading the installer, check the selected edition:

sh install-core.sh --check-network

For Full, run sh install-full.sh --check-network. A successful check exits with status 0 and no [LS_HOST_*] errors. It can pull and cache images without creating a deployment.

If GHCR is slow or unreachable, the installer can rotate to public mirrors after 30 seconds without download progress. Configure a private mirror before installation when your organization requires one:

LINKSENSE_IMAGE_MIRRORS='ghcr.io=registry.example/ghcr' sh install-core.sh

See host adaptation for mirror syntax and Docker proxy configuration.

Install with a coding agent

Give this prompt to a coding assistant:

Help me install and start LinkSense by following https://raw.githubusercontent.com/LingX-AI/linksense/main/Install.md

Add LinkSense Full when you need Full. The assistant should inspect the actual host, preserve existing installations, and report the observed address and health status. Downloading the installer alone is not a successful installation.

Custom port

To install Core on port 19090, use the command for your operating system. Replace core with full for Full.

Linux

sudo --preserve-env=http_proxy,https_proxy,HTTP_PROXY,HTTPS_PROXY,ALL_PROXY,all_proxy,NO_PROXY,no_proxy \
  env LINKSENSE_HTTP_PORT=19090 sh install-core.sh

macOS

env LINKSENSE_HTTP_PORT=19090 sh install-core.sh

The command above assumes the installer was already downloaded with the command on the Core or Full page. For an existing installation, use linksense port 19090.

Common installation problems

Symptom	Cause	Resolution
No Docker Server or daemon connection	Docker is stopped or the account cannot access its socket	Start Docker and check Linux permissions or Docker Desktop status.
API or Compose version is too old	Server API is below `1.45` or Compose is below `2.24.4`	Upgrade the relevant component using Docker's official method.
`[LS_HOST_memory]`	The host or Docker VM does not have enough usable memory	Increase Docker Desktop memory or move to a larger host.
`[LS_HOST_storage]`	The host, Docker VM, or backup location is short on space	Remove only known disposable files or add capacity; do not run a blanket Docker prune.
`[LS_HOST_pull]`, timeout, or TLS error	Docker Engine cannot reach a registry or lacks proxy settings	Run the network check and review terminal and Docker Engine networking separately.
Existing Core or Full installation	Another installer can overwrite the deployment identity	Run `linksense status` and `linksense doctor`; resume only the same edition after an interrupted install.

Prepare Docker and networking

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