Newer version of tor available on trixie-backports; should I manually update?

Qubes-Whonix
1

I noticed on debian trixie-backports, the tor version is newer: Debian -- Details of package tor in trixie-backports

  1. should I manually update tor via, sudo apt install -t trixie-backports tor on whonix-gateway-18 template?

  2. or is whonix-18 going to make this update by itself, that is, is whonix-18 going to switch to trixie-backports version of tor binaries?

  3. I haven’t noticed this on whonix-17, but is whonix-gateway actually following the -backports release of tor binaries?

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Duplicate:

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Duplicate:
Old Tor version in Whonix 18?

I would appreciate concise answers instead of providing a link that
provides a link to other pages, which contain a whole swath of
information that I need to pick and choose from. But.. well this is
what we are working with and I guess one of the reasons why the whonix
forums are ghost towns with no user engagement so far.

Anyways.. On one of your links that leading to other pages of links
that opens a whole text like an Encyclopedia page, I skim through to see
this:[1]

  1. Versions are downloaded from deb.torproject.org, verified to work, and then migrated to deb.whonix.org

Advantages: Flexibility in version selection, a guaranteed way to confirm that only stable Tor versions which are functional in Whonix will be uploaded.
Disadvantages:
A few testers are needed, manual uploads are required, and Whonix touches Tor.
Other issues from 2. above equally apply.

Current Choice

Whonix developers have chosen the third method for Whonix 16. [6]
However, the comparison above suggests better security and
compatibility are afforded by the second option.

What the `f’ is this supposed to mean? Does that mean whonix project
doesn’t use the packages.debian.org’s version of tor? Does that mean
the newer tor binary version going to be migrated to deb.whonix.org? I
am at a loss.

Can @arraybolt or someone else give a clear answer? In someplace else,
he writes:[2]

Debian maintains the older version of Tor, and as Whonix is based on
Kicksecure which is in turn based on Debian, we use Debian’s version
of Tor.

Well, what do you mean by debian’s version of tor? Debian’s version of
tor is currently:

  • trixie
  • trixie-backports

Which one of these means “debian’s version of tor” ???

Footnotes:
[1] Tor integration in Whonix Development Notes

[2] Old Tor version in Whonix 18? - #2 by arraybolt3

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4

The short answer is: no user action required.

Developers will manage new Tor version updates.

Optional:

That wiki page contains Dev/ in its link and is for developers only on those who want the maximum amount of documented details.

5

Hmm… that quote of mine is indeed what I said, but it’s also just wrong I see now. Based on the package versions, we are indeed using “the third method”, which is:

3. Versions are downloaded from deb.torproject.org, verified to work, and then migrated to deb.whonix.org

  • Advantages: Flexibility in version selection, a guaranteed way to confirm that only stable Tor versions which are functional in Whonix will be uploaded.
  • Disadvantages:
    • A few testers are needed, manual uploads are required, and Whonix touches Tor.
    • Other issues from 2. above equally apply.

Only, even that isn’t quite right because we actually put the Tor packages in the deb.kicksecure.com repo, since Kicksecure needs them too. This is a bit of a mess.

Will update the wiki. Apologies for the confusion caused by my initial wrong answer.

Edit: Wiki is now updated:

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@Patrick

The short answer is: no user action required.
Developers will manage new Tor version updates.

Alright.

@arraybolt3

Will update the wiki. Apologies for the confusion caused by my initial wrong answer.

Alright, thanks for editing the wiki.

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