Are X11 packages necessary for Spectrum installation to run on Linux?

Products

• Network Observability
• Spectrum

Issue/Introduction

There is a a package named "xorg-x11-server-common" installed on Spectrum SpectroSERVER and OneClick servers.

Some customers have asked if X11 packages are necessary since the X Window System provides a graphical user interface (GUI) typically used on workstations where users log in, but not on servers where users generally do not require GUI access. Removing X Window components therefore potentially reduces the attack surface if vulnerabilities exist in these packages.

 

Environment

DX NetOps Spectrum all currently supported releases

Resolution

If you need to manage Spectrum settings or control the SpectroSERVER or Location Server (LocServ) through Spectrum Control Panel (SCP) or make changes to model Types, attributes etc using Model Type Editor (MTE), then these use a (GUI) managed by X11 windowing system, so the X11 packages are required in the box. 

Below are further details on the usage of these X11 packages:

• The following package is used by both OneClick (OC) and SCP for X11 fonts:
  
  xorg-x11-fonts-misc
  
  
• The following is required by WebApp on the OneClick server:
  
  xorg-x11-server-Xvfb
xorg-x11-xkb-utils
xorg-x11-server-common

The packages required are listed under:

TechDocs : DX NetOps Spectrum 25.4 : Required Packages