DisposableVM for whonix : Error with torbrowser "Do not run Tor Browser in Qubes DVM Template!"

So I create a DispVM from whonix-ws-15-dvm named whonix-ws-15-dvm1. But when I’m trying to use torbrowser I have the following error :

ERROR: Do not run Tor Browser in Qubes DVM Template!

More info: https://www.whonix.org/wiki/Tor_Browser/Advanced_Users#Running_Tor_Browser_in_Qubes_TemplateVM_or_DVM_Template

The solution is to remove in the name of the dispvm “whonix-ws-15-dvm1” the “dvm”
Now with the new name of the dispvm with “whonix-ws-15-1” there is no error when starting torbrowser

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Did you read how to use
them
and how to
customize them?

Here in a nutshell:

  1. Create an AppVM based on whonix-ws-15

qvm-create --template whonix-ws-15 --label red whonix-ws-15-my-dvm

  1. Make that AppVM into a template for a DispVM

qvm-prefs whonix-ws-15-dvm template_for_dispmvms true
qvm-features whonix-ws-15-dvm appmenus-dispvm 1

Now you can launch the Torbrowser either from the Qubes menu:
“whonix-ws-15-my-dvm: Tor Browser” or from the command line:

qvm-run --dispvm=whonix-ws-15-my-dvm --service qubes.StartApp+torbrowser

The error message you received indicates that your whonix-ws-15-dvm1 is
a template (maybe cloned from whonix-ws-15). Please read the
documentation linked and ask for more help if needed.

So I did like you said in dom0 :


qvm-create --template whonix-ws-15 --label red whonix-ws-15-my-dvm
qvm-prefs whonix-ws-15-dvm template_for_dispmvms true
qvm-features whonix-ws-15-dvm appmenus-dispvm 1

But it’s the same situation

I just removed the ‘dvm’ part of the name, so now I have ‘whonix-ws-15-my-’ as a name, and everything is working fine

is this the same behavior for you ?
Also I’m on Qubes OS 4.1, so I don’t know if it’s change the behavior

Interesting. So they get the fact that it’s a disposable qube via the name…

Keys exposed by dom0 to VM

/qubes-vm-type - VM type, the same as type field in qvm-prefs. One of AppVM, ProxyVM, NetVM, TemplateVM, HVM, TemplateHVM.

So by running in a qube’s terminal qubesdb-read /qubes-vm-type on a disposable it only says AppVM. Hence the need for that, probably.

1 Like

How are you launching the DispVM? The way I described in my post?

If the windows says [whonix-ws-15-my-] then you haven’t launched a
disposable qube but the respective template. If you launch through the
menu or using the command line I posted the qube name should show as
[dispXXXX] where XXXX is a semi-random number.