---
title: "Installing xNIC"
slug: "xnic-installation"
updated: 2025-12-19T20:09:11Z
published: 2025-12-19T20:09:11Z
canonical: "docs.swxtch.io/xnic-installation"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.swxtch.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Installing xNIC

**WHAT TO EXPECT**

In this section, users will learn about the xNIC virtual adaptor and how to install the component on Windows and Linux systems.

xNIC is the software that runs on your VM to create a virtual network interface or NIC (Network Interface Card), allowing the virtual machine to send and receive multicast traffic on the cloud. The xNIC component connects the VMs to one or several cloudSwXtches.

The xNIC installer will also deploy several tools that are useful to test the environment and network connectivity. See the [Tools and Testing](/v2/docs/testing) page.

All the assets are downloaded directly from the cloudSwXtch. But on Linux, some dependencies may be needed and downloaded with the package manager (`apt` on Debian-based, `dnf` on RedHat-based). That said, Linux agents will need either a local repository or an internet connection to download dependencies.

### xNIC System Requirements

The prerequisites are further detailed in the [xNIC System Requirements](/v2/docs/xnic-system-requirement) page.

### Linux Installation Guide

In Linux VMs, users should follow the instructions on the [Install xNIC on Linux](/v2/docs/install-xnic-on-linux) page.

### Windows Installation Guide

In Windows VMs, users should follow the instructions on the [Install xNIC on Windows](/v2/docs/install-xnic-windows) page.