Font servers are a misunderstood breed of technology. Many people see them as file servers, but font servers are so much more than that. To understand more, let’s take a look at the various technologies and services that comprise FontAgent® Server.
The Foundation: FontFlex™ Technology
FontAgent Server is built on FontFlex technology, which manages the properties and interactions of the basic elements of font management:
- Fonts – files containing the glyph outlines and metadata descriptors for typefaces
- Sets – logical collections of fonts
- Tags – keywords that describe characteristics, classifications, uses and styles of fonts
- Licenses – legal terms, receipts and documents describing the rights to use individual fonts
- Users – the identity of users of the font server
- Groups – logical collections of users
- Directories – external enterprise services storing user identities
The Workhorses: Integrated Font Services
Atop its FontFlex foundation, FontAgent Server provides a variety of integrated services:
- A centralized database for storing fonts licensed by your organization, including their associated metadata
- Built-in directory services for managing users and groups, and assigning permissions to server functionality and fonts
- Integration with external directory services containing enterprise user details
- A file manager that distributes fonts to users with appropriate permissions
- A font integrity engine that tests the validity of fonts
- A metadata manager that discovers, stores and searches descriptive information about your fonts
- A multi-threaded, high performance, input/output manager that transmits fonts to user computers
- A manager that helps you stay in compliance by tracking your font purchases, available seats and their license terms
- A service that delivers real-time insight into font availability and activation by user, group and computer
The Interface: FontAgent Server Manager
FontAgent Server provides a browser-based Server Manager application that enables server admins to:
- Browse and edit fonts, sets, users, groups and font licenses on the server
- Grant permission to users to access fonts and sets
- Configure server settings
- Integrate with directory services
- View real-time reports of font usage and license compliance
Users access FontAgent Server through FontAgent Connected Clients that run on their Mac and Windows computers.
The Result: Font Consistency and Control
Using the FontAgent Server Manager and Connected Clients, you can:
- Upload fonts and organize them into sets
- Invite users and organize them into groups
- Enter license information and assign them to corresponding fonts
- Assign fonts and sets to users and groups
The result is a centralized repository of fonts and their associated metadata that you use to control the distribution of fonts, drive font consistency and ensure font license compliance across your organization.