Prepare your machine
The Nimbus beacon node runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, and Android.
System requirements
Check that your machine matches the minimal system requirements.
Time
The beacon chain relies on your computer having the correct time set (±0.5 seconds). It is important that you periodically synchronize the time with an NTP server.
If the above sounds like latin to you, don't worry. You should be fine as long as you haven't changed the time and date settings on your computer (they should be set automatically).
On Linux, it is recommended to install chrony.
To install it:
Make sure that the options for setting time automatically are enabled.