FrogNet · installation

Standing up
a node.

From a bare Linux box to a fully-configured lillypad — one phase at a time. Nothing joins a network yet; that comes after.

{{ aMachine }}
seven phases
· one machine ·
FROGNET — HARDWARE INSTALL & CONFIG

Base configuration

Start with the machine

FrogNet runs on hardware you already own.

  • Any spare computer
  • A Raspberry Pi, a mini-PC, an old laptop
  • One box is already a complete network

It asks for three things — Linux, a little memory, and a way to talk.

{{ aMachine }}

Base configuration · the OS

It's just Linux

A Debian-family Linux base — nothing exotic.

Python, PHP, bash — no unusual dependencies. It runs almost anywhere.

{{ aDebian }}
Debian / Linux
the base OS
{{ aCpu }}
Any CPU
x86 or ARM, Pi-class up

Base configuration · memory

A couple of gigs of memory

Two gigabytes is the floor.

  • 2 GB of RAM, minimum
  • More headroom for media and on-node AI

Enough to run the node, its apps, and the adaptive media loop at once.

{{ aMemory }}

Base configuration · interfaces

At least one way to talk

One interface is required. More is better.

  • A single interface is the minimum
  • Multiple interfaces are recommended
  • Each one is another bearer the node can use
{{ aOne }}
One interface
the minimum
{{ aMulti }}
Two or more
recommended

Phase 1

Qualify the machine

The installer reads the box before it touches it.

  • Debian / Linux base
  • At least 2 GB of memory
  • At least one network interface

Pass, and install proceeds. Fall short, and it tells you exactly why.

{{ aQualify }}

Phase 2

Update, then install

This phase needs you online.

  • A full system update runs first
  • Then one script lays down the FrogNet world
  • The only phase that requires connectivity

Once it's done, the node stands on its own.

{{ aInstall }}

Phase 3

Give it an identity

Every node gets a permanent name and a fixed address.

  • A permanent GUID in /etc/fnid
  • A human name you choose
  • A fixed .1 address — e.g. HomeBase 10.80.80.1

Set once, and it is how the node is known from then on.

{{ aIdentity }}

Phase 4

Choose the bearers

Tell the node which links it may use. Any mix is valid.

Wired, WiFi, or radio — the node treats them all the same. The link is just a pipe.

{{ aEth1 }}
eth0 / eth1
wired links
{{ aWifi }}
wlan0 · WiFi
upstream, or to another FrogNet
{{ aRadio }}
900 MHz radio
long-range RF

Phase 5

Set the uplink & AP rule

How the node offers WiFi depends on what's on eth0.

  • Router on eth0 → it must run in AP mode (added for power)
  • Nothing on eth0 → wlan0 takes the hostapd config
  • dnsmasq serves DHCP and the .1 identity range

External WiFi on a Pi: the BrosTrens WiFi 6 antenna is the verified option.

{{ aRouter }}
Router on eth0
must be AP mode
{{ aHostapd }}
No eth0
wlan0 becomes the AP

Phase 6

Bring it up at boot

netstart configures the node's networking on every power-on.

  • hostapd projects the SSID
  • dnsmasq hands out the .1 range
  • Discovery comes up armed, waiting

The node makes itself ready — before anything else is even in range.

{{ aBoot }}

Phase 7 · the end state

Configured —
and waiting.

A complete lillypad: powered, self-consistent, and alone.

  • Identity set
  • Interfaces up
  • AP projecting its SSID
  • Discovery ready

No peers, no broker, no mesh — yet. The moment another node appears, they'll find each other on their own.

{{ aReady }}
END OF INSTALLATION — NOTHING CONNECTED YET

You now have one running

The cheapest contribution is a topology that breaks it

You do not need to read the engine or write a line of it. The simulator takes a topology and runs the real discovery, routing and election code against it. Build one that produces a wrong answer and you have found something nobody else did.

  • No licence, no engine access, no Python
  • The simulator runs the real code, not a reimplementation
  • A topology that fails today and passes on a fix is an oracle

Better gets demonstrated, not argued — and the gate does not care who either of us is.

Run the simulator →  ·  The autonomics seam →

INSTALL — AND WHERE TO PUT YOUR HANDS