Getting the ZoneCD configured

This is a guide to getting the ZoneCD configured. During the boot a series of dialog boxes will be presented to gather the required information needed to get the ZoneCD running. You only need to do this one time. After you complete the configuration it will be saved to floppy for the next boot.

Bash dialogs

Tab will change the selected option, field, or button.
Space Bar is used to make a selection from a group of choices
Enter is used to accept the selection and move to the next screen.
This guide is broken down into sections. The relevancy of each section depends on your selections during the boot. E.g., if you select Closed mode during configuration, the Open mode section will not be very helpful.

ZoneCD version 0.6-0 is displayed. Your display may vary.

The Boot
Open Mode
Closed Mode
Static IP Config
Finishing the Boot


The Boot

OK, here we go. This is the boot splash you will see when the CD starts to boot.




During the boot you will see a bunch of messages going by on the screen. If you see a lot or error messages that look like ":I/O error, dev f0:f1 (cloop), sector ..." you probably had a bad download. Sometimes a file will sustain damage during the download. If you see messages like this, you should delete the iso from your computer and get it again.

Otherwise, if you see none of these messages, just be patient and let the CD continue to boot...



If you are using a USB thumb drive to save your configuration then you may see this screen if the drive is not properly formatted or there is an error in the partition table on the disk. Select to have the zonecd automatically partition and format the drive. NOTE: You will lose all existing data on the drive.
This is a sample of normal output from the programs used to format the USB drive.

This is the Preamble to the GNU General Public License. This will only appear when an unconfigured system is booting. Say yes to continue with the configuration.




If you see this message, then you have not put the floppy or USB thumb drive in. Stick the floppy in the drive or plug your USB drive in, and hit "Enter" to continue. The ZoneCD will not boot without configuration media.




This screen shows up every boot. It gives you an opportunity to change your configuration. A bit of advise, pop the floppy out if you want to reconfigure. I always miss it and need to reboot. This dialog will only wait 5 seconds for you to respond. If you select nothing here on the first boot, the ZoneCD will boot in Closed mode with dhcp for your network configuration.




Select the mode you want your ZoneCD to run in. Closed mode requires that you have already created a login in Zone Control. NOTE: Master logins (email addresses) can not be used to boot the ZoneCD.




Select how you want the ZoneCD to run. This has nothing to do with WiFi, NoCat, or anything else. This is an option for the Operating System. Non - Linux geeks will probably be the most comfortable with GUI (Graphical User Interface).

GUI will give you a basic desktop with a web browser. LessX only starts the X server and a single rxvt session, no window manager. This is done because the ZoneCD boots to runlevel 5, without the rxvt session, you get a broken shell(no job control). NoX should be used on headless systems.


Select the way you want to configure the network for the wired side of the ZoneCD box (the wireless side is hard coded 10.10.10.1)



Open Mode

Enter a URL to redirect your users to after they click the button on the splash page. If you do not want your users to be redirected then select "No Redirect" to have them go to their normal homepage after the splash.




In Open mode you need to tell the ZoneCD to enable or disable the content filter.




Once you finish the Open mode configuration, a screen will display the configuration. Just hit Enter.



Closed Mode

Closed mode requires that you have already created a login in Zone Control. This is required to download your configuration and to send/receive updates from the Control server. Enter the login you created for this zone.

NOTE: Master logins (email addresses) can not be used to boot the ZoneCD.




Enter your password. This is a special dialog that will not display what is typed. This will keep the password from being seen.




OOPS! This dialog could be bad. If you don't get a successful authentication the second, or third time (if you have really fat fingers), then there is no Internet access available. Auto configuration probably failed to obtain an IP address for the wired network connection (eth0), or DNS is failing. But before you panic, switch the network cables and reboot. If this continues, hit the forum.




Once you finish the Closed mode configuration, a screen will display the configuration. Just hit Enter.



Static IP Config

Enter an IP address to use for the wired side network connection (AKA eth0).




Enter the subnet mask to use. Unless you have some special network setup, 255.255.255.0 is safe to use.




Enter the IP address of the gateway. In the example, this is the IP address of a router. This is the suggested setup. The ZoneCD box should be connected to a router, not directly to the Internet.




Enter the IP address of the primary nameserver In the example, this is the IP address of a router. You can also use the IP of your ISP's nameserver.




Enter the IP address of the secondary nameserver. This is optional, if you don't have a secondary nameserver, just leave it blank and hit Enter.



Finishing the Boot
Since the zonecd does not install to your hard drive the files system is mounted on a RAM disk. This requires additional RAM (minimum 128MB )to keep the zonecd running smoothly. You can use the next few dialogs to automatically reboot the zonecd to help keep memory resources optimized.
The ZoneCD uses UTC, aka GMT, to synchronize it's activities with the Control Server. To reboot the zonecd at the correct local time to must select your geographic location.
Select your city, or time zone.
Select the time you want the reboot.

After you complete the dialogs, you will see several messages that update you during the configuration and initialization of your setup.




LessX (shown) only starts the X server and a single rxvt session, no window manager. This is done because the ZoneCD boots to runlevel 5, without the rxvt session (NoX) you get a broken shell(no job control).



GUI will start a desktop session that gives you access to a web browser and a few other goodies.
Your Done! HAVE FUN!!
Everything that needs to be running is configured and ready to go... You don't need to do anything. All that's left is setting up your AP. If you haven't already reviewed the setup guide, you can check it out here...