Configuring an X Font Server

Configuring an X Font Server


If you want to install fonts in addition to the default fonts installed
with the X server on your X font server, the first thing you need to do when configuring an
X font server is to actually install the fonts you want to distribute on it. If your Linux distribution is
running X.org, your fonts need to be installed to the

/usr/share/X11/fonts directory

or the

/usr/share/fonts directory.


To install a font, copy the font files to the appropriate subdirectory
of your system’s fonts directory. For Type1 fonts, you need to copy
the .pfa or .pfb file for the font. For TrueType fonts, ou need to
copy the .ttf file for the font. Bitmap font files need to go into the
100dpi and/or 75dpi directories.

Then you need to create a font description file for the font and
register it with the system.


To do this, open a terminal session and (as root) switch to the font
directory and enter the


mkfontscale


 command followed by the


mkfontdir


 command. These commands make an index

of scalable (as well as bitmap) font files for the X server.


Next, you need to open port 7100

in the firewall of the X font server.


The next thing you need to do is tell the X font service (xfs) that
the fonts are there and should be made available to remote X server clients.
This is done by editing the

/etc/X11/fs/config file.

Locate the

no-listen = tcp

line and remark it out with a

# sign.



Then review the

catalogue =

section and verify that your fonts directory is listed. When finished,
save your changes to the file and exit your text editor.


At this point, you need to start the X font server. This is done by
switching to your init script directory and entering

./xfs start

 at the shell prompt (as root).


LX0-104 Exam Objectives (H)