Installing FA, compatibility

[Trodamus]

So, I'm sorry if this is a ridiculous thing to post but looking around the site, wiki and forums I didn't really see anything clearly labelled as "installation for idiots".

So here I am, asking:

I have a boxed copy of Forged Alliance, not installed. What steps would I need to follow to get the game installed to work with FAF? Would I need to install GPGnet if prompted? Would I need to manually install any patches for FA or GPGnet?

Does FAF require CD keys be entered?

Is it compatible with the steam version? Does it modify the installation?

Some background:

I bought Supcom and FA back in the day. Recently I registered my CD key for supcom on steam for supcom gold. My FA key doesn't work (and I dont' think GPG is rushing to fix this), so while I had originally planned on giving my friend the key to register, I may now give him the box to install so he can play with me with my steam version.

Along those lines — is FAF the only way for boxed copies and steam copies to play together?

Most humble thanks for your time.

[Ze_PilOt]

Install the game, install the lobby. Try to host a game, follow instructions, done.