5 zones is the default. You can change it to whatever you want, but it really just depends on how many you need running at the same time, I think. The more you have the more memory it uses, obviously.

Which client did you install? (Titanium, SoF, SoD?)

Installed SoF client. Should i try with Titanium?

Might be worth a shot.

I know SoF can work, but I think there are still issues with it (and support for it may have been dropped to work on SoD/Underfoot clients), but Titanium works for sure.

Ok, tried Titanium, get "an unknown error occurred while trying to join the server"

still only get response from the login server, nothing in world or zone window

Maybe look at your eqemu_config.xml (in your server root directory).

The world section might be set to localhost or 127.0.0.1 instead of your server's ip address (it should be to the server's ip)

As Chanus says, check your eqemu_config.xml

I would expect to see your server IP address before the :9000, e.g. 'Error connecting to 192.168.254.20:9000'

that was set as local host, but it is really local host, but i did change. No help

where is the client looking for that information? the only thing i changed on the client is the login server. which is working. the only thing i see for port 9000 is in the eqemu_config, which says
<tcp ip=eq.toadville.org" port="9000" telnet="disable" />

on the server, my host record points that name to 127.0.0.1, on the client, my host record points that name to the ip address of the server 192.168.254.20

The client is hardcoded to connect to world on udp port 9000. This is the section in eqemu_config.xml that specifies your world address:
I use the latest version of EQEmuloginserver from the source code SVN, but I don't think I have changed that config section from when I used minilogin for my private server.

I'm using the regular eqemuloginserver, not minilogin, is that my problem?

No, you want to use that one.

Go through your eqemu_config.xml and eqemulogin.ini and make sure you don't have some places saying port 5998 and others saying 5999 maybe.

And try:

in the eqemu_config.xml

I think i found it.....

<!-- Sets the shared key used by zone/launcher to connect to world -->
<key> some long random string</key>

i'm guessing i need to put something in there. Is there a min/max or any thing i need to know about this line?

Actually, "some long random string" is also a long, random string... so no, you don't really need to change that unless you are going to be making your server public.

What that does is basically act like a password so unauthorized zones can't join your server.

ok that didn't seem to fix it.

what about under login server information....

<loginserver>
<host>eq.toadville.org</host>
<port>5998</port>
<account></account>
<password></password>

do i need an account and password in there? if so, what do i use?

You don't need an account or password there, but I think your eqhost.txt file needs to say the same as what's listed there.

Or, try making "host" your IP address (the 192.168.254.20) instead of the dns name.

nope, no good there either.