I experimented with the UpdatesProxy-file and implemented the suggestions:
Here is the sample configuration:
Initial state:
$tag:whonix.updatevm default allow,target=sys-whonix
$tag:whonix.updatevm $anyvm deny
State after the change:
$tag:whonix-ws-16-2 default allow,target=sys-whonix-2
$tag:whonix-gw-16-2 default allow,target=sys-whonix-2
$tag:whonix.updatevm default allow,target=sys-whonix
$tag:whonix.updatevm $anyvm deny
Then under Global-Settings I set the update for dom0 to sys-whonix-2.
Before that, I cloned sys-whonix-2, renamed it to sys-whonix-TEST, coupled all VMs depending on this VM to sys-whonix-TEST and then deleted the original “sys-whonix” file as suggested and ran above tests.
Result: no change in behavior.
Maybe it is also related to the new policy structure introduced with 4.1 and there are logical contradictions. But I have to deal with this new system first, so these are just guesses.
I then test started anon-whonix from the Qube manager, which was now assigned to the newly created and renamed sys-whonix-TEST (for security reasons I had completely disconnected the system from the router).
The following error message was displayed:
A red warning icon and the message:
DENIED: whonix.NewStatus
Denied whonix.Newstatus+status from anon-whonix-2 to sys-whonix
Then I repeated the whole thing, also from the Qube-Manager, with anon-whonix-2 (which is linked to sys-whonix-2), and the same error message appears with reference to sys-whonix - although sys-whonix-2 starts correctly.
I then did the same thing again with the internet enabled - each time the error message appears several times, even though the net connection is present.
I conclude that sys-whonix still appears in the corresponding status file instead of sys-whonix-TEST despite the change of assignment and that there is an error somewhere here as well or the problem is even deeper in the system.
Edit: I just renamed sys-whonix-TEST back to sys-whonix.
As a result, all the assigned VMs also automatically renamed themselves from sys-whonix-TEST to sys-whonix, that is, without me having to change anything in the menu of each machine. I wonder if such behavior is intentional or even good.