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NOTE: CentOS Enterprise Linux is built from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux source code. Other than logo and name changes CentOS Enterprise Linux is compatible with the equivalent Red Hat version. This document applies equally to both Red Hat and CentOS Enterprise Linux.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux uses two methods to manage and display
fonts under X. The newer Fontconfig font subsystem simplifies font
management and provides advanced display features, such as
anti-aliasing. This system is used automatically for applications
programmed using the Qt 3 or GTK+ 2 graphical toolkit.
For compatibility, Red Hat Enterprise Linux includes the
original font subsystem, called the core X font subsystem. This
system, which is over 15 years old, is based around the X Font Server (xfs).
This section discusses how to configure fonts for X using both
systems.
The Fontconfig font subsystem allows applications to directly
access fonts on the system and use Xft or other rendering
mechanisms to render Fontconfig fonts with advanced anti-aliasing.
Graphical applications can use the Xft library with Fontconfig to
draw text to the screen.
Over time, the Fontconfig/Xft font subsystem replaces the core X
font subsystem.
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Important |
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The Fontconfig font subsystem does not yet work for OpenOffice.org, which uses its own font rendering
technology.
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It is important to note that Fontconfig uses the /etc/fonts/fonts.conf configuration file, and
should not be edited by hand.
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Tip |
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Due to the transition to the new font system, GTK+ 1.2
applications are not affected by any changes made via the Font Preferences dialog (accessed by selecting
[on the Panel] =>
=> ). For these applications, a font can be
configured by adding the following lines to the file ~/.gtkrc.mine:
style "user-font" {
fontset = "<font-specification>"
}
widget_class "*" style "user-font"
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Replace <font-specification> with a font
specification in the style used by traditional X applications, such
as -adobe-helvetica-medium-r-normal--*-120-*-*-*-*-*-*.
A full list of core fonts can be obtained by running xlsfonts or created interactively using the
xfontsel command.
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Adding new fonts to the Fontconfig subsystem is a
straightforward process.
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To add fonts system-wide, copy the new fonts into the /usr/share/fonts/ directory. It is a good idea to
create a new subdirectory, such as local/
or similar, to help distinguish between user and default installed
fonts.
To add fonts for an individual user, copy the new fonts into the
.fonts/ directory in the user's home
directory.
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Use the fc-cache command to update the
font information cache, as in the following example:
fc-cache <path-to-font-directory>
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In this command, replace <path-to-font-directory> with the
directory containing the new fonts (either /usr/share/fonts/local/ or /home/<user>/.fonts/).
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Tip |
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Individual users may also install fonts graphically, by typing
fonts:/// into the Nautilus address bar, and dragging the new font
files there.
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Important |
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If the font file name ends with a .gz
extension, it is compressed and cannot be used until uncompressed.
To do this, use the gunzip command or
double-click the file and drag the font to a directory in Nautilus.
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For compatibility, Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides the core X
font subsystem, which uses the X Font Server (xfs) to provide fonts to X client applications.
The X server looks for a font server specified in the FontPath directive within the Files section of the /etc/X11/xorg.conf configuration file. Refer to
Section 7.3.1.4 Files for more
information about the FontPath entry.
The X server connects to the xfs server
on a specified port to acquire font information. For this reason,
the xfs service must be running for X to
start. For more about configuring services for a particular
runlevel, refer to the chapter titled Controlling Access to Services in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux System Administration
Guide.
The /etc/rc.d/init.d/xfs script starts
the xfs server. Several options can be
configured within its configuration file, /etc/X11/fs/config.
The following lists common options:
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alternate-servers — Specifies a
list of alternate font servers to be used if this font server is
not available. A comma must seperate each font server in a
list.
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catalogue — Specifies an ordered
list of font paths to use. A comma must seperate each font path in
a list.
Use the string :unscaled immediately
after the font path to make the unscaled fonts in that path load
first. Then specify the entire path again, so that other scaled
fonts are also loaded.
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client-limit — Specifies the
maximum number of clients the font server services. The default is
10.
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clone-self — Allows the font
server to clone a new version of itself when the client-limit is hit. By default, this option is
on.
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default-point-size — Specifies
the default point size for any font that does not specify this
value. The value for this option is set in decipoints. The default
of 120 corresponds to a 12 point font.
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default-resolutions — Specifies a
list of resolutions supported by the X server. Each resolution in
the list must be separated by a comma.
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deferglyphs — Specifies whether
to defer loading glyphs (the graphic used
to visually represent a font). To disable this feature use
none, to enable this feature for all fonts
use all, or to turn this this feature on
only for 16-bit fonts use 16.
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error-file — Specifies the path
and file name of a location where xfs
errors are logged.
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no-listen — Prevents xfs from listening to particular protocols. By
default, this option is set to tcp to
prevent xfs from listening on TCP ports
for security reasons.
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Tip |
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If using xfs to serve fonts over the
network, remove this line.
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port — Specifies the TCP port
that xfs listens on if no-listen does not exist or is commented out.
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use-syslog — Specifies whether to
use the system error log.
To add fonts to the core X font subsystem (xfs), follow these steps:
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If it does not already exist, create a directory called
/usr/share/fonts/local/ using the
following command as root:
mkdir /usr/share/fonts/local/
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If creating the /usr/share/fonts/local/ directory is necessary, it
must be added to the xfs path using the
following command as root:
chkfontpath --add /usr/share/fonts/local/
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Copy the new font file into the /usr/share/fonts/local/ directory
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Update the font information by issuing the following command as
root:
ttmkfdir -d /usr/share/fonts/local/ -o /usr/share/fonts/local/fonts.scale
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Reload the xfs font server
configuration file by issuing the following command as root:
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