xfs running with no x session

[Bruce McDonald]

Hello Rick

On 21-May-04, you wrote:

> Bruce McDonald wrote:
>> Hello Rick
>> 
>> On 21-May-04, you wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>> Bruce McDonald wrote:

>> Hello Rick

>> On 21-May-04, you wrote:



>>> Bruce McDonald wrote:
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> Hello,


>>> I was just checking what services were listening to ports on my
>>> machine and noticed that xfs (the font server, not the filesystem)
>>> was listening. Is this normal behaviour when there is not an x
>>> session running?


>>> Yes, but it should be running on a local Unix-domain socket, not over
>>> TCP/IP.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>>> It is running on a Unix socket. Having sent the previous question I
>>>> figured that it must listen for X to start and then call the font
>>>> server. It is good to be sure though.
>> 
>> 
>>> Actually it's quite the opposite.  X depends on having xfs handle fonts
>>> for it, but xfs is not dependent on X in any way beyond X's font
>>> directories.
>> 
>> 
>> Ok, so xfs runs constantly in the background waiting for calls from X to
>> serve fonts.  And obviously, X makes no calls unless it is running.

> Yup.  That's about it.

>> Somehow I got myself thinking it acted like xinetd listening for a call
>> and then starting the appropriate deamon..... Don't ask how I confused
>> myself. I don't know. heheh

> xinetd only deals with TCP/IP connections.  It can be difficult to split
> Unix sockets from network sockets in your head.  However, it's Friday
> and you're excused.

>> Just wait til I start asking firewall questions!  <evil grin>

> No!  NO-O-O-O!  Run away!  Run away! :-p

> Actually, before you get too concerned, try taking a look at firestarter
> (http://firestarter.sourceforge.net).  It's a nice GUI iptables
> configuring tool.  I roll my own iptables stuff, but I'm weird (as
> everyone on the list knows).

Well, get ready for strange, odd, and ... you have to be kidding.

I took a quick look at firestarter, nice... if you do things normally.  I
prefer the hard way.  LOL

Or in other words I have a tri-homed machine acting as a gateway/router with
two separate LANs connected and boy is it fun getting them to all talk.  It
solved a $200 problem, of course this makes my life difficult because
writing the rules just got much harder.  
I didn't see a way to get firestarter to do 2 separate ethernet card
forwardings.  

I will be going through Linux Firewalls Second Edition by Robert L. Ziegler
again to see if I can piece what I need to do together.  But first.  Bed!

Regards,
Bruce McDonald