Installation guide

Chapter 6. The X Window System 105
When the user finishes an X session on the default display (:0) and logs out, the
/etc/X11/xdm/TakeConsole script runs and reassigns ownership of the console to the root user.
The original display manager, which continued running after the user logged in, takes control by
spawning a new display manager. This restarts the XFree86 server, displays a new login window, and
starts the entire process over again.
For more information about how display managers control user authentication, read the xdm man page.
6.5. Fonts
Red Hat Linux uses xfs (X Font Server) to provide fonts to the XFree86 server and the X client
applications that connect to it. While it is possible to not use xfs and place the paths to font directories
in your XF86Config configuration file, xfs has several advantages:
• It is easier to add and remove fonts, including editing the font path. The font path is a collection of
paths in the file system where font files are stored. The xfs service keeps the font path out of the
XFree86 configuration files, making it easier to edit.
• Fonts may be stored on one machine acting as a networked font server and can be shared among
multiple X servers over the network. A common set of fonts can be maintained in one place and
easily shared between all users.
• More types of fonts are supported. xfs can handle TrueType, Type1, and bitmap fonts.
The XFree86 configuration files know whether to use xfs or hard coded font paths because of the
FontPath setting in their Files sections. By default, the FontPath is set to unix/:7100. This
tells the XFree86 server to connect to port 7100 using an inner-machine communication link. The
xfs server listening on this port will respond with font information when queried by the XFree86
server.
The xfs service must be running when X is started. If it is not, you will be returned to a command
prompt with an error similar to failed to set default font path ’unix/:7100’. Check to
see if xfs is running using the ps aux | grep xfs command. By default, xfs is set to start in
runlevels 2, 3, 4, and 5, covering all runlevels where you would run X. If xfs is not running on
your system, you can start it as root using the /sbin/service xfs start command. Use the
/usr/sbin/ntsysv, serviceconf, or /sbin/chkconfig utilities to force it to start at the cor-
rect runlevels. For more on configuring services for a particular runlevel, refer to the chapter titled
Controlling Access to Services in the Official Red Hat Linux Customization Guide
6.5.1. xfs Configuration
The /etc/rc.d/init.d/xfs script starts the xfs server. Several options can be configured in the
/etc/X11/fs/config file:
• alternate-servers — Sets a list of alternate font servers to be used if this font server is not
available. A comma must separate every font server in the list.
• catalogue — An ordered list of font paths to use that contain the font files. A comma must follow
every font path before a new font path can be started in the list.
You can use the string :unscaled immediately after the font path to make the unscaled fonts in
that path load first. Then, you can specify the entire path again, so that other scaled fonts will also
be loaded.
• client-limit — Sets the number of clients this font server will service before refusing to handle
any more. The default is 10.