Fonts missing for random users on random computers

Question

Fonts missing for random users on random computers

Hello, We're running network home folders (10.4.9 and 10.4.10 client - 10.4.10 server) and recently there's been weird issue with fonts for certain users on certain computers disappearing.

These users can use other computers and other users can use these computers without a problem, but something with the specific user on the specific computer is screwing with the fonts. You can see them all in /Library/Fonts, but when a word processing app is used (Word, Appleworks, iWork, etc), the font list has only about 20 fonts.

Anybody have any ideas?

too many :-X, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Nov 5, 2007 10:58 AM

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Answer 1

Nov 5, 2007 12:26 PM in response to Jason Bennett

Hi

On the Server create a folder in the Shared Items folder and call it Library, create another folder within that folder and call it Fonts. Copy all the fonts you wish your network users to use into that folder. Launch Server Admin and make sure Guest Access is enabled for the AFP Service. Go back to WGM and share that folder and use standard POSIX to apply permissions. Make admin the Owner with Read/Write privs, admin as the Group with Read Only privs and Everyone with Read Only privs.

By default when you create new share point, Guest Access is enabled for AFP and SMB. Leave these as they are. You disable FTP sharing if you wish. Select Network Mount and authenticate using the Directory Administrator account. Enable Network Mounting of the newly created share point and set it for Shared Library Use.

For the setting to take effect restart the clients.

Tony

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Answer 2

Nov 5, 2007 1:31 PM in response to Antonio Rocco

Thanks for the response.

I know I could do that and I've tinkered with a network library before, but that seems like a roundabout way to fix this problem. All the fonts we need are on the individual computers and we don't have a need for a network library at the moment. Setting it up for all of our servers and user groups would be a lot of work. Plus I imagine it would create an added strain on the network which can be pretty stressed as it is.

I might try this at one school though and see if it helps.

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Answer 3

Dec 11, 2007 9:56 AM in response to Jason Bennett

This came down to /Library/Caches/com.apple.ATS

Inside this folder, is a folder for each user that has logged on (their UID). Inside of each of these folders is a fonts.db database that was apparently getting corrupted.

Solved by adding a logout hook that deletes this folder.

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