improve whonixcheck output in Qubes

phabricator-migrator · February 19, 2024, 5:48pm

Information

ID: 371
PHID: PHID-TASK-txz2pj6frb6rwadyv7t2
Author: Patrick
Status at Migration Time: resolved
Priority at Migration Time: Normal

Description

Usability questions:

If running in TemplateVM, ProxyVM or AppVM: Perhaps add this info to window title? [1]
If running in StandaloneVM or TemplateBasedVM: Perhaps add this info to window title? [2]
If running in a TemplateBasedVM, and if there are updates available: Explain how to start a TemplateVM to update. [3]

Technical questions:

[1] (output of qubesdb-read /qubes-vm-type) [no question]

[2] Is it possible to read from within a script if it is running within a StandaloneVM or TemplateBasedVM using qubesdb-read or so?

[3] From within a TemplateBasedVM… Can a script find out the name of the TemplateVM it is based on using qubesdb-read or so?

Comments

nrgaway

2015-07-04 02:05:37 UTC

Yes to all the questions

# QUBESDB and PREFIX are used to access data in Qubes database.  The interfaces
# to the database has changed in Release 3, so these vars will contain the proper
# program and syntax to use when accessing the database.

    # Qubes R3
    if which qubesdb-read > /dev/null; then
        QUBESDB=qubesdb
        PREFIX='/'

    # Qubes R2
    else
        QUBESDB=xenstore
        PREFIX=''
    fi

To read host name in R3:

qubesdb-read /name

To read VM type in R3:

qubesdb-read /qubes-vm-type

Patrick

2015-07-04 02:37:28 UTC

nrgaway

2015-07-04 03:52:20 UTC

! In T371#5858, @Patrick wrote:
There are two technical questions still open. I’ll restate/clarify those.

[2] Is it possible to read from within a script if it is running within a StandaloneVM or TemplateBasedVM using qubesdb-read or so? I mean something like qubesdb-read /standalone → yes, no or qubesdb-read /template-based → yes, no.

I don’t know if I understand the question. Are you trying to read from another VM from the one you are currently in? For example, if your are in the Whonix Gateway ProxyVM, are you trying to read something from the TemplateVM? If thats what you mean, no

If you mean you have a script running in the ProxyVM and are trying to figure out its hostname or type, the example I posted above is how you accomplish this.

qubes-whonix has code in /usr/lib/qubes-whonix/utility_functions.sh, replace-ips, and in the init directory a few of the scripts read as well.

Check out /usr/lib/qubes/init for examples as well.

[3] From within a TemplateBasedVM… Can a script find out the name of the TemplateVM it is based on using qubesdb-read or so? qubesdb-read /name → my-whonix-gw-proxyvm is fine, but not what I am asking here. More like this… qubesdb-read /parent-template → whonix-gw-experimental.

I don’t know this.

Patrick

2015-07-04 21:47:50 UTC

nrgaway

2015-07-05 00:13:43 UTC

Patrick

2015-07-05 00:35:26 UTC

nrgaway

2015-07-05 00:56:54 UTC

Does for me:
qubesdb-read /qubes-vm-type → TemplateVM

I don’t have a standalone VM to test with, but I assume if it as a ProxyVM it reported properly.

I don’t know if you can identify if it’s a standlone type or not.

Here are available commands paths (qubesdb-list /):
.
name
qubes-block-devices
qubes-debug-mode
qubes-gateway
qubes-ip
qubes-keyboard
qubes-netmask
qubes-secondary-dns
qubes-service/meminfo-writer
qubes-timezone
qubes-usb-devices
qubes-vm-type
qubes-vm-updateable

Patrick

2015-07-05 01:51:54 UTC

Patrick

2015-07-25 14:33:49 UTC

marmarek

2015-07-25 20:17:21 UTC

Patrick

2015-07-27 16:02:38 UTC

! In T371#6039, @marmarek wrote:
Take a look here:
Redirecting…
Especially qubes-vm-updatable is almost what you are looking for. It
is True for StandaloneVMs and TemplateVMs. Later you can use
qubes-vm-type to differentiate TemplateVM.

This will do.

There is no way to know template name from VM based on it. Ok, there are
some hacky way for that, not not something we want to use. Is there any
use case for such information?

Yes. This is the existing whonixcheck update notification (which is sufficient for non-Qubes-Whonix):

Debian Package Update Result: apt-get reports that 15 packages can be updated.
Please update Whonix-Gateway and Whonix-Workstation:
(Open a terminal, Start Menu → Applications → System → Terminal.)
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade

I would like to update the Qubes specific update notification to improve usability. Something like this:

Debian Package Update Result: apt-get reports that 15 packages can be updated.
Please update your Whonix-Gateway TemplateVM whonix-gw-experimental.

Open a terminal, dom0 → Start Menu → whonix-gw-experimental → Terminal.

Update. (sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade)

Shutdown the Whonix-Gateway TemplateVM whonix-gw-experimental. (dom 0 → Qubes VM Manager → right click whonix-gw-experimental → Shutdown VM)

Shutdown and restart this TemplateBased ProxyVM sys-whonix.
(dom 0 → Qubes VM Manager → right click sys-whonix → Shutdown VM)

(Using underline for the ProxyVM sys-whonix, because that name can vary [can be freely choose by the user]. And using underline for the name of the template whonix-gw-experimental, because it differs from whonix-ws)

(Maybe @bnvk has any advice for better wording of this message?)

Current window title of whonixcheck for non-Qubes-Whonix:

whonixcheck | Whonix-Gateway | $whonix_deb_package_version | $(date)

That I would like to change for Qubes to something like.

whonixcheck | Whonix-Gateway (ProxyVM) (sys-whonix) (based on TemplateVM whonix-gw-experimental) | $whonix_deb_package_version | $(date)

Or respectively.

whonixcheck | Whonix-Gateway (ProxyVM) (sys-whonix) (StandaloneVM) | $whonix_deb_package_version | $(date)

Patrick

2015-07-27 18:33:27 UTC

Patrick

2015-08-04 13:48:35 UTC

Patrick

2015-08-19 17:47:03 UTC

Patrick

2015-09-03 22:55:31 UTC

Patrick

2015-09-03 23:27:09 UTC