These are the essential steps to get your reference database up and running:
Follow the installation instructions for either Unix/Linux or Windows.
Finish the installation by creating and filling the internal database.
Start the application server refdbd, either manually or as a daemon, as explained in the OS-specific installation sections.
Create one or more reference databases.
Add one or more users that are permitted to work with this database (not required if you use the SQLite database engine as it lacks access control).
Add bibliography styles.
Now it is up to the users to populate the database with references, run their queries, create bibliographies, and whatever they may desire.