Very Computer

Extra info -- commenting out the line
no-listen = tcp
in the config file /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fs/config
and then executing:
/sbin/service xfs start
/sbin/service xfs status

now shows that the font server is running.
However the X server still barfs in exactly the same way.

On on a fresh install of RedHat Linux 7.3 I seem to have had a run of
file
corruption problems -- the last one stuffed the XWindows configuration.

Now the X server fails to load with
(EE) MGA(0) static buffer allocation failed, not intialising the DRI.
(EE) MGA(0) Need at least 4608kB Video memory at this resolution bit
depth
Could not init font path element unix/:7100, removing from list.

Fatal server error:
could not open default font 'fixed'

=========================================
The messages above of course are near useless for diagnosis
except for the person who actually wrote the program
and doubly confusing because there appears to be two kinds.

Here is what I have done so far:
1. Removed the higher resolution options from the x server config
file generated by Xconfigurator. The card is a 4Meg Matrox Millenium II.

Xconfigurator was told what the memory was but that value is commented
out in the /etc/X11/XF86Config file.

2. Attempted to restart xfs -- it says OK but on running
/sbin/service xfs status it says that
"xfs dead but pid file exists"

3. The config file /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fs/config says that
no-listen = tcp

which begs the question: how is the X server supposed to talk
to it via port 7100.

I tracked down some logged errors in /var/log/messages.
They are:
modprobe: modprobe: Can't locate module char-major-81
gdm[10396]: gdm_slave_xioerror_handler Fatal X error - Restarting :0

I have reinstalled the X related RPM packages -- still bad.

OK I fixed it!

Firstly to add to the confusion the /etc/X11/XF86Config file
is not being used,  /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 is.

In this file I commented out the line
FontPath "unix/:7100"

And removed the comment character from the lines:
Load "freetype"
Load "type1"

I believe this disables the useage of the FontServer
by the X window server. startx and IT NOW WORKS!!

Now why is the font server inaccessible to the x server.
Well on 7.3 the default configuration comes with all
ports closed -- half a day of pain to discover why my web server
stopped working.
So it is possible that by opening port 7100 I can get the
font server to work as well -- figuring out how to do that is the next
task.

Why did this happen?? Initially this was all running
fine and I have no idea what changed the settings
so that it did not work.

Quote:

> Now why is the font server inaccessible to the x server.
> Well on 7.3 the default configuration comes with all
> ports closed -- half a day of pain to discover why my web server
> stopped working.
> So it is possible that by opening port 7100 I can get the
> font server to work as well -- figuring out how to do that is the next
> task.

Well now I have well and truely fixed it by doing a complete reinstall.
Fortunately I had the forsight to install /home and /user/local on another
drive, so I replaced that that drive with an empty drive and reinstalled.
I was forced to reinstall because I wanted to recompile PHP using the
existing options plus one more,
and it found that it wanted some IMAP stuff and when I went to install
the packages from that it decided that the partition that had / as the mount
point
was too full.

Basically the whole thing SUCKS!!

Anyway during installation this time I used the graphical installer
and it mentioned during the firewall set up screen that the
font server port was closed off -- as I hypothesised!!
Well that is gratifying, but when I decided to add
7100:xfs as the port:protocol it refused to accept
that 7100 was a valid port.

So what does the brain-damaged
thing want???

I got similar problem as yours, but my problem is I have my own
hardening scripts disabled the font server... Thanks for your posting
so that I realised it in shorter time.

Just a few things to mention, see if it helps:
1. xfs allows not to use tcp listening. It is the default setting in
my RH7.3.
   The config file is in /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fs/config,
   with this line:  no-listen = tcp
   With this, listening takes place like this:
   unix  2   [ ACC ]  STREAM   LISTENING   1314  
/tmp/.font-unix/fs7100

2. The firewall ipchains seems has blocked the connection to TCP ports
xfs by default. With "ipchains -L", it contains such line:
   REJECT   tcp  -y----  anywhere        anywhere          any ->  
xfs

   You can use ipchains to remove such entry. However, as I mentioned
in (1),
   xfs seems doesn't use the xfs port.

Lydia