The zoneCD is built on Linux. It is helpful, but not a requirement, to have basic knowledge of Linux in order to understand this 'how to'.

You will need the following

• High-speed Internet connection
• A router for network connection to the Internet (not wireless)
• Any WiFi compliant wireless router or access point
• A few Ethernet cables
• Computer with:
  • An Intel-compatible CPU
  • Minimum 128 MB RAM.
  • Bootable CD-ROM drive.
  • Floppy Drive
  • 2 Network Interface Cards (NIC's)
• Login for Zone Control

I have made the setup of the physical gateway unit as simple as humanly possible. The network configuration of the gateway is something that you should be aware of during your hotspot network and gateway setup.

This is one way to setup the network. There are other ways of doing this as well... This is a very simple guide to help those of you without a lot of experience in networking or WiFi

Network Interface Cards
The gateway(ZoneCD) machine needs to have two NIC's or Ethernet cards. You can imagine the "Internet" flowing through one to the other. For clarity we will label the cards Eth0 and Eth1. Eth0 is the network card that connects to the Internet via your router. Eth1 is the network card that connects to your access point(AP) or wireless router.

During boot time the ZoneCD makes a DHCP client request on both cards, this is part of the Knoppix and Morphix boot config. Eth0 can get an IP address assigned via DHCP from your Internet router or it can be configured during boot to get assigned a static ip. Eth1 will not get an IP via DHCP, it will be assigned a static IP address of 10.10.10.1 later during the boot (10.10.10.1 is the IP address of the network gateway for your wireless clients).

DHCP Server
The ZoneCD runs it's own DHCP server. This is very important in the setup of your wireless network. The AP or wireless router must have the DHCP server shutdown! The AP or wireless router must have the DHCP server shutdown! The DHCP server on the ZoneCD will allow up to 100 clients to connect in the range of 10.10.10.100 to 10.10.10.200. You may use 10.10.10.2 to 10.10.10.99 for any hardware on the wireless network segment... namely the AP. Assign the LAN of the AP a static IP in this range. A good example would be to assign the AP's LAN a static IP of 10.10.10.2. Please visit the forum or check other documentation for configuration of additional "un-authenticated" hardware.

Network Connections
Connect the ZoneCD machine(Eth1) to the AP or wireless router using an Ethernet cable. Connect the cable to the AP's LAN port not the WAN port . If you are using a wireless router, pick a LAN port (usually four LAN ports grouped together and a single WAN port) and plug it in. Do not use the WAN port.

Connect the gateway machine(Eth0) to your router that maintains your Internet connection. This router should be running a DHCP server. If not, the ZoneCD must be assigned a static IP address during boot.

Boot-it-up
With the physical network all hooked up, it is now time to bootup and let the ZoneCD do it's thing. During the bootup you will see a lot of Knoppix/Morphix stuff going-on, you really don't need to be concerned with most of what you will see... just let the CD continue to boot. About half way through the boot, you will be asked a few questions and you'll be done! See How to Configure the ZoneCD for help during the boot of the ZoneCD.