Minimal templates are missing distro-info-data package by default

[Nurmagoz]

How to file a helpful issue

Qubes OS release

4.2.2-rc1

Brief summary

The notification is wrong in two ways:

• The names that the notification mention is for StandaloneVMs, not templates.
• The StandaloneVMs are upgraded to latest stable debian (internal upgrade from debian 11 to 12).

Steps to reproduce

Create StandaloneVM from an old debian, upgrade it internally.

Expected behavior

• Should differentiate between Templates and StandaloneVMs (nomenclature correction).
• Should either understand that the StandaloneVM upgraded already OR ignore it since its a StandaloneVM not a template (because this is wont be a Qubes issue to solve anymore if its outdated).

Screenshot

[alimirjamali]

• The StandaloneVMs are upgraded to latest stable debian (internal upgrade from debian 11 to 12).

What is the version of qubes-desktop-linux-manager on your system? (use dnf info to find it) There was a recent fix in v4.2.24 for that notification. The notification might go away if you restart your system or restart the qui-updates service via this command:

systemctl --user restart qubes-widget@qui-updates.service

• The names that the notification mention is for StandaloneVMs, not templates.

That is correct. The text Install new templates with Template Manager could be changed to something like Install new templates with Template Manager or do in-place release upgrade of the outdated qubes. But I am not in a position to suggest the exact wording of it. It is just a suggestion.

[Nurmagoz]

There was a recent fix in v4.2.24 for that notification.

Im already on 4.2.24

The notification might go away if you restart your system or restart the qui-updates service via this command:

Didnt went away, im pretty sure the scenario im in is not defined by the qui-updates tool to know it. I see it either ignoring StandalonVMs or implement sanity to know the internals of the StandaloneVMs packages status.

[alimirjamali]

What is the output of this command in the StandaloneVM:

grep SUPPORT_END /etc/os-release

And output of this command in dom0:

qvm-features VMNAME os-eol

[Nurmagoz]

grep SUPPORT_END /etc/os-release

[user ~]% grep SUPPORT_END /etc/os-release
zsh: exit 1     grep --color=auto SUPPORT_END /etc/os-release
[user ~]% cat /etc/os-release 
PRETTY_NAME="Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm)"
NAME="Debian GNU/Linux"
VERSION_ID="12"
VERSION="12 (bookworm)"
VERSION_CODENAME=bookworm
ID=debian
HOME_URL="https://www.debian.org/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://www.debian.org/support"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.debian.org/"
[user ~]% 

qvm-features VMNAME os-eol

No output.

[alimirjamali]

Thanks. Very useful information. Now we know that we are dealing with a standalone which does not provide SUPPORT_END data.

Just to double check, the standalone VM name is not debian-11? These are the hard-coded template/standalone VM names which will always show the unsupported popup.

[Nurmagoz]

Just to double check, the standalone VM name is not debian-11?

it is not named debian-11.

These are the hard-coded template/standalone VM names which will always show the unsupported popup.

I see, but its not getting the OS reading from /etc/os-release within StandaloneVM, somewhere else where debian 11 still mentioned or so.

[alimirjamali]

Just to double check, the standalone VM name is not debian-11?

Nope its not debian-11.

These are the hard-coded template/standalone VM names which will always show the unsupported popup.

I see, but its not getting the OS reading from /etc/os-release within StandaloneVM, somewhere else where debian 11 still mentioned or so.

Yes. What is the output of qvm-features VMNAME template-name

[marmarek]

qvm-features VMNAME os-eol

No output.

Is this template using repositories for R4.2? debian-11 wasn't supported on R4.2, so it's likely a template imported from R4.1 and as such it won't tell the EOL date. If that's the case, the notification about unsupported template is almost accurate, as R4.1 indeed is EOL already

[andrewdavidwong]

Just to double check, the standalone VM name is not debian-11?

Nope its not debian-11.

These are the hard-coded template/standalone VM names which will always show the unsupported popup.

I see, but its not getting the OS reading from /etc/os-release within StandaloneVM, somewhere else where debian 11 still mentioned or so.

Debian 11 hasn't reached EOL yet anyway. It's expected to reach EOL sometime this month, but it hasn't yet:

https://wiki.debian.org/DebianReleases

[Nurmagoz]

Yes. What is the output of qvm-features VMNAME template-name

debian-11-minimal

so it's likely a template imported from R4.1

Yep

the notification about unsupported template is almost accurate

Hmm.. not sure how much accurate it is e.g:

• Not a template
• Not debian 11 anymore, it has been upgraded to debian 12 (internally)
• Not installed from qubes repository, so there is nothing qubes can do/advise except a within VM upgrade (which is what has been done), meaning the error almost useless if its not talking about upgrading the internals. Unless a suggestion should be like backup the VM data and shift it to a newly created/installed qube/VM based on the latest version of x (can be debian or fedora..etc).

[alimirjamali]

Debian 11 hasn't reached EOL yet anyway.

The EOL for Debian 11 is set to 1st July in the JSON file. This could be changed to 31 August which is its real EOL date. But I guess the change will reach the main stream too late to be available to the end users.

debian-11-minimal

@TNTBOMBOM could you unset or change that feature? Something like:

qvm-features --unset VMNAME template-name

or

qvm-features VMNAME template-name debian-12-minimal

Then restart the updates widget and see if the notification goes away.

[marmarek]

so it's likely a template imported from R4.1

Yep

Is it updated to R4.2 repositories? Check /etc/apt/sources.list.d/qubes-r4.list - does it have "r4.2" or "r4.1" in URLs?

[alimirjamali]

Is it updated to R4.2 repositories? Check /etc/apt/sources.list.d/qubes-r4.list - does it have "r4.2" or "r4.1" in URLs?

I see. The 10-qubes-core-agent-features.sh should set the correct os-eol post upgrade, using /usr/share/distro-info/debian.csv file.

[marmarek]

I see. The 10-qubes-core-agent-features.sh should set the correct os-eol post upgrade, using /usr/share/distro-info/debian.csv file.

Well, not if the template is still using R4.1 qubes packages...

[Nurmagoz]

@TNTBOMBOM could you unset or change that feature? Something like:

qvm-features --unset VMNAME template-name

or

qvm-features VMNAME template-name debian-12-minimal

Then restart the updates widget and see if the notification goes away.

This trick made it, the notification went away.

Is it updated to R4.2 repositories? Check /etc/apt/sources.list.d/qubes-r4.list - does it have "r4.2" or "r4.1" in URLs?

Yes its r4.2:

[user ~]% cat /etc/apt/sources.list.d/qubes-r4.list
# Main qubes updates repository
deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/qubes-archive-keyring-4.2.gpg ] https://deb.qubes-os.org/r4.2/vm bookworm main

[alimirjamali]

This trick made it, the notification went away.

Would you please run this in your standalone VM:

/etc/qubes/post-install.d/10-qubes-core-agent-features.sh

Then tell us the output of this command in dom0:

qvm-features VMNAME os-eol

[Nurmagoz]

Then tell us the output of this command in dom0:

No output shown.

[alimirjamali]

No output shown.

Interesting. One last question. What is the version of qubes-core-agent on the standalone VM. You could find it it via:

apt info qubes-core-agent

[marmarek]

/etc/qubes/post-install.d/10-qubes-core-agent-features.sh

This on its own is not enough, there is "commit" action in the last file.
Better run the whole /etc/qubes-rpc/qubes.PostInstall (either this way from within a qube, or from dom0 via qvm-run -u root --service QUBE_NAME qubes.PostInstall).

[Nurmagoz]

apt info qubes-core-agent

[user ~]%  apt info qubes-core-agent
Package: qubes-core-agent
Version: 4.2.35-1+deb12u1

/etc/qubes/post-install.d/10-qubes-core-agent-features.sh

This on its own is not enough, there is "commit" action in the last file. Better run the whole /etc/qubes-rpc/qubes.PostInstall (either this way from within a qube, or from dom0 via qvm-run -u root --service QUBE_NAME qubes.PostInstall).

Done both, no output for

qvm-features VMNAME os-eol

Actually what i have discovered is that this feature doesnt show anything for debian minimal even installed freshly, so this is not an issue of previous debians not showing any output but even new one (only minimal, full/standard does show an output).

So to reproduce is easy:

• Get debian-minimal
• Check output for eol
• Which part is missing?

[marmarek]

(only minimal, full/standard does show an output).

🤦 Even though you said it several times, we missed this part...
The EOL date is retrieved using distro-info-data package, and I guess this package is not installed in minimal template...

[Nurmagoz]

and I guess this package is not installed in minimal template...

user@host:~$ apt policy distro-info-data 
distro-info-data:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 0.58+deb12u2
  Version table:
     0.58+deb12u2 500
        500 https://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm/main amd64 Packages
user@host:~$ 

true not there..

[andrewdavidwong]

All Qubes templates, including minimal templates, should ship with all the packages they need in order to function properly as Qubes templates inside of Qubes OS. What makes minimal templates minimal is not lacking what they need to function properly. Rather, it's lacking anything beyond that.