The minimal Zhenga setup requires just a few steps.

1. Hardware

Demo Zhenga network can run on any computer running Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and macOS.

2. The binaries

Download latest Zhenga for your operating system and unzip to a separate directory.

3. System driver

Install Dokan for Windows or macFUSE for macOS. Both are filesystem-in-userspace drivers. There is nothing to install on Linux and FreeBSD as most distributions come with fuse by default.

4. Configuration files

Example configuration files alice.cfg, bob.cfg and carol.cfg can be found in the downloaded archive.

5. Start

Firewall users must allow ports 42001, 42002 and 42003 for Zhenga binary.

5.1 Windows

Start command prompt by pressing Win+R, type cmd and press Enter. Navigate to the location of downloaded Zhenga binary and issue the following command:

C:\Users\Zhen\Zhenga>zhenga.exe -fc alice.cfg -m X -n Alice

Start another command prompt, navigate to the same directory and issue another command:

C:\Users\Zhen\Zhenga>zhenga.exe -fc bob.cfg -m Y -n Bob

One more command prompt and another command:

C:\Users\Zhen\Zhenga>zhenga.exe -fc carol.cfg -m Z -n Carol

With all instances of Zhenga running you shoud see new drives X:, Y: and Z: in the system named Alice, Bob and Carol respectively with some demo content inside.

5.2 Linux and FreeBSD

FreeBSD users should issue the following command in order to mount filesystems as unprivileged user:

$ sudo sysctl vfs.usermount=1

Navigate to the location of downloaded Zhenga binary and issue the following commands (use sudo where appropriate):

$ mkdir ~/alice
$ ./zhengad -fc alice.cfg -m ~/alice

Start another command prompt, navigate to the same directory and issue more commands:

$ mkdir ~/bob
$ ./zhengad -fc bob.cfg -m ~/bob

One more command prompt and again commands:

$ mkdir ~/carol
$ ./zhengad -fc carol.cfg -m ~/carol

With all instances of Zhenga running you shoud have demo nodes mounted to ~/alice, ~/bob and ~/carol.

5.3 macOS

Running Zhenga on latest macOS versions requires explicit permission. Google has a number of solutions to this along with explanations of what code signing is and how it prevents malicious software spread.

Unfortulately, running on BigSur is currently impossible. Stay tuned for development updates.

Once done with the permission, start command prompt, navigate to the location of downloaded Zhenga binary and run alice node:

/Users/Zhen/zhenga $ ./zhengad -fc alice.cfg -fm /Volumes/Alice

Then in another command prompt run bob node:

/Users/Zhen/zhenga $ ./zhengad -fc bob.cfg -fm /Volumes/Bob

And in another command prompt run carol node:

/Users/Zhen/zhenga $ ./zhengad -fc carol.cfg -fm /Volumes/Carol

When all Zhenga nodes are up you should see demo nodes at /Volumes/Alice, /Volumes/Bob and /Volumes/Carol.

6. Stop

Various options are available on different systems.

6.1 Windows

Stop Zhenga by pressing Ctrl+C in command prompt windows with running Zhenga.

6.2 Linux and FreeBSD

Use umount to release the filesystems (use sudo where appropriate):

$ umount ~/alice
$ umount ~/bob
$ umount ~/carol

or just press Ctrl+C in the consoles running Zhenga.

6.3 macOS

It is preferred to use Eject option from the drive context menu. Otherwise use the following commands:

/Users/Zhen/zhenga $ umount -f /Volumes/Alice
/Users/Zhen/zhenga $ umount -f /Volumes/Bob
/Users/Zhen/zhenga $ umount -f /Volumes/Carol

or just press Ctrl+C in the consoles running Zhenga.

7. Congratulations!

You’ve just set up your own P2P network! Now it is time to add real nodes and shares.

If you feel familiar with TCP/IP, mount points, shares, etc - just take the provided configuration files as an example and go ahead with real hostnames, ports and paths.

For more example setup refer to quick pair guide.
For more information about the configuration please refer to step-by-step manual.