How to Install Any Linux Distro from an ISO on Qubes

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Hi @bxkapjaiz2,

It is possible to install any OS from an ISO as a StandaloneVM, but that’s a trade-off:

  • A TemplateVM is used as a template to create the AppVM that you’ll actually use day-to-day. That provides security benefits that are at the core of Qubes OS. It is also easy to update multiple AppVMs by updating a single TempkateVM, which is convenient. But such a TemplateVM requires integration with Qubes OS, so they are significantly more complex to create by yourself, and using the default templates (which maintained by the Qubes OS team) is recommended.

  • A StandaloneVM is similar with other VMs you may have used outside Qubes OS. The trade-off: you don’t get the security benefits from using a template, and you don’t get the convenience of maintenance either. (But it’s not worse than maintaining any other VM you’ve used in the past outside Qubes OS.)

If you’re interested into creating a StandaloneVM with Ubuntu, you can take a look at how the SecureDrop team does it to create a StandaloneVM and Boot into the installation ISO.

Notes:

  • The VM in the example is called sd-staging-base-focal, you can give it any name you want.
  • You likely want to use Ubuntu’s default kernel, so skip the line: qvm-prefs sd-staging-base-focal kernel ''

If that sounds like what you want to do but are not sure how to use those instructions, let me know! :slight_smile:

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