Cannot install templates: qvm-template-postprocess error "root.img extraction failed"

User Support 4.1
#1

I used to have a fedora-35-minimal template which I then deleted (qvm-remove fedora-35-minimal).

Today I wanted to test some things on Fedora so I tried reinstalling it.

I tried the following commands (as well as qvm-template directly) but they always result in the error message reported below.

[user@dom0 ~]$ sudo qubes-dom0-update --enablerepo=qubes-templates-itl-testing qubes-template-fedora-35-minimal
[user@dom0 ~]$ sudo qubes-dom0-update --action=reinstall --enablerepo=qubes-templates-itl-testing qubes-template-fedora-35-minimal

Installing template 'fedora-35-minimal'...
fedora-35-minimal: Importing data
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/qvm-template-postprocess", line 5, in <module>
    sys.exit(main())
  File "/usr/lib/python3.8/site-packages/qubesadmin/tools/qvm_template_postprocess.py", line 430, in main
    loop.run_until_complete(post_install(args))
  File "/usr/lib64/python3.8/asyncio/base_events.py", line 616, in run_until_complete
    return future.result()
  File "/usr/lib/python3.8/site-packages/qubesadmin/tools/qvm_template_postprocess.py", line 296, in post_install
    import_root_img(vm, args.dir)
  File "/usr/lib/python3.8/site-packages/qubesadmin/tools/qvm_template_postprocess.py", line 110, in import_root_img
    raise qubesadmin.exc.QubesException(
qubesadmin.exc.QubesException: root.img extraction failed
ERROR: Command '['qvm-template-postprocess', '--really', '--no-installed-by-rpm', 'post-install', 'fedora-35-minimal', '/var/tmp/tmp2_t8ydzq/var/lib/qubes/vm-templates/fedora-35-minimal']' returned non-zero exit status 1.

I’ve tried to investigate QubesException: root.img extraction failed and found this solution: Errors trying to install Debian 11 (Bullseye) template from testing - #6 by mig5
Unfortunately, after cloning an existing (Debian*) template, and naming it fedora-35-minimal, I get an error when trying to uninstall it:
(*I don’t have any fedora templates right now :slight_smile:)

[user@dom0 ~]$ sudo dnf remove fedora-35-minimal
No match for argument: fedora-35-minimal
No packages marked for removal.
Dependencies resolved.
Nothing to do.
Complete!

So, I set the testing repo:

[user@dom0 ~]$ sudo dnf remove --enablerepo=qubes-templates-itl-testing fedora-35-minimal
Error: Unknown repo: 'qubes-templates-itl-testing'

I then tried to install the fedora-34-minimal AND then the fedora-34 templates from the stable repo, AND I got the same root.img extraction failed error as before.

What else should I try?

I don’t actively use Fedora (don’t have it in fact) but it would be nice to understand why I can’t install templates.

#2

If you could try qvm-template-gui, you could easily visually check which repos you have enabled and which templates comes from which repo, as well as to install them from there.

#3

Why do you state repo in this command?

#4

Same error, doesn’t work.

I don’t know, I was trying out a bunch of things and realized only after this was posted…

#5

Update: I tried re-installing a Whonix template and the same issue occurs… Now I would really like to solve this.

Any idea is appreciated.

#6

Maybe there are some remnant volumes that are getting in the way?
Check if you have volumes from removed templates left:
sudo lvs