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Information about the X11 Font Server at RZG

Information about the X11 Font Server at RZG

A X11 font server has been set-up on machine xfont1 for public access by RZG users.

By configuring your X-server (workstation or X-terminal) to access it, you get a wider choice of fonts without having to install them locally.

The fonts currently installed for the font server include many Type1 fonts, which are freely scalable and therefore will look good even at big sizes like the ones you might sometimes want to use in programs like The Gimp or Mathematica.

There are also ISO-8859-2, ISO-8859-3 and KOI8 fonts for Eastern European languages (Western European languages are covered by the usual default fonts). The RZG can install font sets with support for other languages on request.

In addition, the font server now supports True Type fonts. Some freely available True Type fonts are installed, including the "Webfonts" distributed by Microsoft. This is of special interest for Unix users accessing some WWW-pages made with Microsoft tools and/or with PC users in mind and where the fonts in the document are set to fonts usually present on PC's, but not on Unix workstations.

Configuring your X-server is easy:

  • If you have an X-terminal or a unix workstation

     

    • Type xset q
      You should see a couple of lines (at the end of the output) indicating your current Font Path.

       

    • You add the X11 Font Server to your current font path by typing
      xset fp+ tcp/xfont1.rzg.mpg.de:7101

       

    • Then you have to tell your X-server to re-read the list of fonts by typing
      xset fp rehash

     

  • If you have a PC with Exceed

     

    • Start the Exceed Xconfig tool from the windows Start menu --> Programs --> Exceed

       

    • Select the Font tool and click on it Font database...

       

    • Click on the button Add... and toggle in this menu from Directory to Server
      Set Host Name: xfont1.rzg.mpg.de
      Set Port: 7101

       

    • Close all windows with ok

       

  • If you have a PC with X-Win32

     

    • Start the X-Win32 Utility X-Util32 tool from the windows Start menu --> Programs --> X-Win32

       

    • Select Path... from the pull down menu Fonts

       

    • Click on the button Add Font Server...
      Set Font Server xfont1.rzg.mpg.de
      Set Port 7101

       

That's all. Now you have hundreds of new fonts at your disposal. To see the list of fonts available from the font server, type fslsfonts -server xfont1.rzg.mpg.de:7101. To see the complete list of available fonts (both in your old font path and coming from the font server) type xlsfonts.

If you want this setting to be active when you restart your X-server, you have to include the above commands in your X-server startup script (usually $HOME/.xinitrc or $HOME/.xsession)

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