Fonts when using X over ssh

Galumph · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:16 pm Post subject: Fonts when using X over ssh

I've recently brought back my Gentoo machine and I'm using it on my Mac through SSH. Certain fonts seem to be missing when running X11 applications over SSH. For example, I have urxvt configured to use the Terminus font (a nice font that's readable when very small), but when launching it I get this:

eccerr0r · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:33 pm Post subject:

The fonts should be installed on the X server if I understand your situation correctly...

In this case, the fonts need to be installed on your Macintosh.

It might be better to just install a vnc server and all the fonts get renderred locally on the Gentoo machine.
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Galumph · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:37 pm Post subject:

I've tried using VNC this morning, and it refreshes really slowly, like those ancient CRT screens they have in supermarkets. I'll try installing the fonts on the Macintosh and give it another go.

Jaglover · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 8:39 pm Post subject:

Is running X apps remotely in X native way out of question?
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Galumph · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 10:01 pm Post subject:

I was under the impression this is the native way of doing it. At least that's what I read on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System#Network.

Anyway, installing the font on the Mac doesn't seem to do it. I mean, the font does show up in xfontsel (and now that I think of, all of the fonts xfontsel lists are one I have on the Mac), but the can't use it. I think I'll just look for another fixed width font for OS X.

Jaglover · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 10:16 pm Post subject:

The native way is not over SSH, you simply run an X application in a remote box (which does not need X to be installed) with DISPLAY set to your local X server.
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Galumph · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 10:23 pm Post subject:

Well since the box isn't actually accessible (It isn't connected to a screen, keyboard or mouse.), I have to ssh into it anyway and I think that sets the DISPLAY variable automatically.

Jaglover · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 10:30 pm Post subject:

Logging in over SSH is not same as X forwarding over SSH.
Example: I have a headless box on my LAN. I log into it over SSH (because it's handy, could log in any other way) and issue

eccerr0r · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 10:51 pm Post subject:

Both methods, through ssh port forwarding (usually if you see your DISPLAY set to localhost:10.0 or something) or through X11 TCP connection (usually seeing DISPLAY=xserverhost:0), still use the same mechanism - TCP connections, just that it is proxied in the ssh case. Neither are quite fast as a local socket connection, but not too bad. Going through ssh gives the bonus of encryption as well as compression.

I do have to say that I have had issues forwarding stuff through ssh that works fine through native. Suspecting that ssh does do some protocol emulation of sorts. However this shouldn't affect fonts. And this is weird that you can't use the xfontsel fonts, it should work...
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Jaglover · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 10:59 pm Post subject:

I haven't been deep into this but don't you need X installed in the remote box for forwarding over SSH to work? If yes then it's a major difference in how the data is processed.
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eccerr0r · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:10 pm Post subject:

The X libraries need to be installed on the headless box, for both ssh AND native X11 TCP. A full X11 install is needed for VNC, as VNC itself is now the server.

The X server needs to be installed on the machine you're trying to view on.

The mechanism is the same for SSH and native TCP X11 - both use a TCP connection.

There are really just three basic ways to run X11 applications:
1: local socket, that's what your /tmp/.X0-unix is used for. Requires full X11 install on remote machine, but has questionable value (unless you're running VNC on that machine).

2: TCP socket. The X server (the machine you have the monitor, mouse, and keyboard on) listens to a port. The remote machine (X clients) connect to your X server. Whether they do it directly (DISPLAY=xserverhost:0) or indirectly through a proxy (using ssh, DISPLAY=localhost:10) is irrelevant, it's still TCP socket. You could even use netcat to proxy as well, but it's a bit clunky and adds no value.

3: VNC. This emulates the whole X server on the remote machine, and your local machine with the monitor just windows into that server.

I'm not talking about just ssh'ing into the machine for an interactive text session...that's something different :D
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Jaglover · Posted: Sat Jul 14, 2012 11:15 pm Post subject:

Thanks for clearing it up.

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