Now we have bootable BIOS persistent/live-mode encrypted/non-encrypted Whonix-Host Installed.
We have to modify /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/calamares/modules/initramfs/main.py as follows:
from libcalamares.utils import target_env_call
import os
release = os.uname()[2]
initrdname = "/boot/initrd.img-"
fullpath = str(initrdname+str(release))
def run():
""" Generate an initramfs image.
:return:
"""
return_code = target_env_call(["mkinitramfs", "-o", fullpath])
if return_code != 0:
return (
"Failed to run update-initramfs on the target",
"The exit code was {}".format(return_code)
)
This file is part of calamares package (not calamares-settings-debian)
Please see pull request (I put it in live-config-dist I’ll let you sort it out):
See /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/calamares/modules/initramfs/README.md :
## initramfs module
This module is specific to Debian based distros. Post installation on Debian
the initramfs needs to be updated so as to not interrupt the boot process
with a error about fsck.ext4 not being found.
## Debian specific notes
If you're using live-build to build your ISO and setup the runtime env
make sure that you purge the live-\* packages on the target system
before running this module, since live-config dpkg-diverts update-initramfs
and can cause all sorts of fun issues.
I think I found the reason. live-boot packages must be removed on the installed host during Calamares packages module. Otherwise Calamares will fail to update initramfs (update-initramfs is disabled live system is running without media mounted on /lib/live/mount/medium).
As far as I remember, we used to remove all live-boot packages.
live-config was removed here:
Remove ‘live-config’ as it is no longer installed in the iso file.
Breaks Calamares install otherwise.
Could you please (re-)add any missing packages to packages.conf.dist?
See also /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/calamares/modules/initramfs/README.md:
## initramfs module
This module is specific to Debian based distros. Post installation on Debian
the initramfs needs to be updated so as to not interrupt the boot process
with a error about fsck.ext4 not being found.
## Debian specific notes
If you're using live-build to build your ISO and setup the runtime env
make sure that you purge the live-\* packages on the target system
before running this module, since live-config dpkg-diverts update-initramfs
and can cause all sorts of fun issues.
Now the question is how do we achieve a live-bootable installed Host if we have to remove all live-build packages…
Package grub-liveDepends: on live-boot, live-boot-initramfs-tools, live-tools.
I guess purging live-config since grub-live is known to work well
inside Whonix VMs?
live-config is no longer installed in the ISO build, and thus no longer installed in the installed host. We got rid of it not long ago. So we don’t need Calamares packages module to remove it anymore:
Now, two options:
either we don’t want the installed host to be able to boot into live-mode, and thus we remove all live-boot related packages from the installed host with Calamares installer (packages module) at the end of the installation ;
or we want to have default live-mode support on the installed host and thus we have to find a workaround for encrypted support also since it seems that update-initramfs cannot be performed on a live system by default in Debian (and we need to update the initramfs for encrypted support at the end of the installation).
The workaround I found (might be a better solution, I don’t know) invokes directly mkintramfs and allows to circumvent this limitation.
This requires to modify the file /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/calamares/modules/initramfs/main.py which is provided by the upstream Debian calamares package (not calamares-settings-debian).
Since I don’t know exactly how you plan to apply this change during the build, I have put the modified file here for the time being:
Result: we have now a bootable (BIOS) installed host both with persistent and live modes by default, AND with encrypted support.
Merged. And made installable. (Solved packaging issue of overwriting file by different package.) Included in Whonix 15.0.1.2.3-developers-only.
But that’s not an ideal solution yet. Might be better to use update-initramfs and stay as close to /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/calamares/modules/initramfs/main.py as possible?
Therefore…
File /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/calamares/modules/initramfs/README.md might be slightly outdated (but helpful nonetheless).
live-config debian/changelog says “Moving initramfs-tools scripts content to live-tools.” Alright, so lets look into package live-tools.
(not preferred) modify /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/calamares/modules/initramfs/main.py to use /usr/sbin/update-initramfs.orig.initramfs-tools
(better but non-ideal) add uninstall live-tools before installing
running sudo sh -x /var/lib/dpkg/info/live-tools.postrm remove should work in theory but in practice the script is not idempotent (does not support re-running) therefore uninstallation during calamares package remove step would fail. Possibly a packaging but but that won’t be fixed before bullseye even if reported.
sudo apt --yes purge live-tools might help (but then calamares might might choke [1]) Run that command somehow automated after boot?
(ideally) Or we could have calamares have apt purge live-tools by modifying /etc/calamares/settings.conf? Module packages removes from chroot not from live disk, right? Invent our own calamars module for apt purge live-tools that runs early?
Or keep as is?
[1] We could change /etc/calamares/modules/packages.conf (packages.conf) from remove to try_remove. I.e. failing open rather than closed. Then calamares would be less picky about trying to remove package(s) that are already removed and not consider it a failure. Maybe would ease development?
+ cd /home/user/whonix_binary
+ sudo mksquashfs /home/user/whonix_binary/Whonix-Host-XFCE_image image/live/filesystem.squashfs -comp xz
Can't find a SQUASHFS superblock on image/live/filesystem.squashfs
Wrong filesystem or filesystem is corrupted!
Failed to read existing filesystem - will not overwrite - ABORTING!
To force Mksquashfs to write to this block device or file use -noappend
Yes!!
It works fine now, why not keep as is? I have just built Whonix-Host-XFCE-15.0.1.2.4.iso, did a BIOS encrypted install -> everything works!
I don’t think it is desirable to remove live-tools.
In fact we already have an ISO file that boots on EFI and BIOS systems.
What we could not achieve is having an EFI bootable installed Whonix-Host system. Reasons still unknown.
@Patrick, would you maybe consider already releasing Whonix-Host ISO as it is, without EFI support for Calamares installer? This way people could already start to test it and maybe we could gather some feedback on how to fix this issue.
It is a good idea. However, I don’t want to sink Whonix-Host release,
create a bad reputation by releasing low quality software.
Among most important features for Whonix-Host which are not implemented
yet are Whonix-Host firewall and Whonix-Host Tor /
anon-connection-wizard (ACW) configuration.
What about re-adding minimal QEMU support? Would be useful during development. Then one could try Whonix-Host inside VirtualBox or any other virtualizer.
Only two changes required looks like. Changing domain type from kvm to qemu and disabling host cpu passthrough.
OK will work on resurrecting it. Any suggestion where you want the config templates?
Great! Maybe no separate xml files. Just what kind of modifications are
required / suggested. If that seems as a workable appraoch.
If sudo virsh capabilities does not contain <domain type='kvm'> then
the xml files are currently in git master copied to a temporary location
and patched before import. For now it’s just two replacements.
I don’t know the nuances between update-initramfs and and mkinitramfs.
Looks like update-initramfs adheres config /etc/initramfs-tools/ of
which we have a few.
