Xvfb does not start on SLES 10 install

[Van den Broeck Tijl]

When trying to start Xvfb for vague java apps using the line "/usr/X11R6/bin/Xvfb :1 -screen 0 800x600x16 -fbdir /usr/src &" I get the following error:

Couldn't open RGB_DB '/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb'
Could not init font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/, removing from list!
Could not init font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/TTF/, removing from list!
Could not init font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/CID/, removing from list!
Could not init font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/, removing from list!
Could not init font path element /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/, removing from list!

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

Which all is rather weird, I 've install nearly every possible fonts rpm package. I've ran fonts-config and fc-cache a dozen of times. Added the alias "fixed -misc-fixed-medium-r-normal--20-200-75-75-c-100-iso8859-1" in /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/fonts.alias

This is a headless server (and is to be kept that way, so no /etc/X11/xorg.conf etc... is installed).

[skt_skt]

This is how our start up script.U need the mwm(The Motif Window Manager) to get the X program working properly.Just X wont work .

#cat /applmgr/scripts/boot/start_Xvfb.sh

hostname=`/bin/hostname`

export DISPLAY=${hostname}:15.0
/usr/X11R6/bin/mwm &
sleep 2
/usr/X11R6/bin/Xvfb :15 -ac -screen 0 1024x768x8 &

[Rick Beldin]

The font path can be specified with the -fp option. This would be a comma separated list of directories which contains fonts - AND the fonts.dir, which is an index into the fonts in the directory.

Another option would be to start the font server (xfs) and ensure that Xvfb points to it.

You can often get an idea of the necessary options for Xvfb by examining the options on the Xserver that is controlling the desktop.
(ps -ef | grep X)

[skt_skt]

here is another one

root 20323 1 0 09:49 pts/8 00:00:00 /usr/X11R6/bin/Xvfb :13 -screen 0 6x6x8 -pn -fp /usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc -sp /etc/X11/xserver/SecurityPolicy

[skt_skt]

check /var/log/Xorg.0.log or an equivalent log file

[skt_skt]

check variable RGB_DB and what is the path it is suppose to get set; where is it defined and its existence;In your case

"Couldn't open RGB_DB '/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb'"

here is what i am seeing in ny log file. I have "Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS release 4 (Nahant Update 4)"

==) FontPath set to "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/,/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/,/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/,/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"
(==) RgbPath set to "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
(==) ModulePath set to "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"

[Van den Broeck Tijl]

Starting with the -fp's didn't do much either.

/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb exists and has the necessary contents.

Anyhow, the problem was fixed by, yes stupidly enough, installing the fixed fonts. I made the wrong assumption that Novell supplies those obvious & essential fonts, but apparently they don't have the fixed fonts in any package, so I had to pull them of a Debian system.

[Van den Broeck Tijl]

See above reply.