Qubes-split-browser: "Failed to read configuration" after updating Tor Browser to 15.0.4

User Support General
1

I can’t get qubes-split-browser by @rustybird (GitHub - rustybird/qubes-app-split-browser: Tor Browser (or Firefox) in a Qubes OS disposable, with persistent bookmarks and login credentials) to work anymore after updating my Tor Browser from 14.x.x to 15.0.4.

Mullvad Browser (configured with my steps in Qubes-app-split-browser: Has anyone made it work with Mullvad Browser?) works fine.

Unfortunately, I am having trouble finding crash logs from Tor Browser. How can I debug this?

I am using the latest qubes-split-browser and qubes-split-browser-disp packages, both from the testing repo.

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Are there maybe remnants of an old, manually installed Split Browser version still left in the disposable template (the -dvm) that are taking precedence over the new version installed through a package? You can check with find /usr/local -name 'split-browser*' in the -dvm.

When there’s a “Failed to read the configuration file” error, there’s usually something more specific in the Browser Console (Ctrl-Shift-j). You may have to scroll back to the beginning.

1 Like
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I apologize; the TemplateVM of the disposable wasn’t up to date, in fact.

Now, I get a different issue: when spawning with Safest, Tor Browser opens but says “Your security level settings require a restart”.

If I restart, then “Failed to read configuration” pops up.

If I do not, the splitbrowser addons work fine; but of course, the browser is stuck on the unsafe option until restarted.

The logs say:

NS_ERROR_SOCKET_ADDRESS_IN_USE: Component returned failure code: 0x804b0036 (NS_ERROR_SOCKET_ADDRESS_IN_USE) [nsIServerSocket.initWithFilename] sb.js:74
    <anonymous> sb.js:74
    <anonymous> sb.js:231
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That functionality (using the Safest level) has indeed been broken by upstream Tor Browser changes for a long time. Last time I checked I didn’t find a good way to fix the breakage. I need to look into it again. Which might take a while, sorry to say.

3 Likes
5

Ah, that’s a shame. If you accept Monero, I’d be happy to set up a bounty (somehow). Thank you for your work.

1 Like
6

In v0.17.0 (not yet available in the contrib package repos), using a different Security Level mostly works again.

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I have the same issue @rustybird. I have checked and I have found:

find /usr/local -name 'split-browser*'
/usr/local/etc/split-browser-disp

So, what to do with it? How do I know it’s remnant at all? Thanks for the response in advance.

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You can delete that directory, assuming that you didn’t put any custom settings there (e.g. switching from Tor Browser to Firefox). But if that’s the only remnant, it’s not the reason for the “Failed to read configuration file” message. What version of qubes-split-browser-disp do you have installed in the disposable template’s TemplateVM? It has to be at least v0.16.7.

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qubes-split-browser-disp.noarch 0.16.6-1.fc42 qubes-contrib-vm-r4.2-current-testing

But I can’t see v0.16.7, although I see there v0.16.8x but can’t install it too?

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Ok, I installed it manually and can confirm that now it works. Thanks for proper tips as usual rusty. I still wonder why it wouldn’t want to upgrade it automatically with upgrade --refresh, or at least recognize there is newer version… I had to manually go to repo to check what’s in there…

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v0.16.8 and v0.17.2 have only made it to the contrib testing repo so far.

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Thanks. I have all repos enabled, that’s why I was puzzled…

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Oh right, I can see that now:

Odd. Here, v0.16.8 is available for installation from that repo.

Maybe sudo dnf clean expire-cache or sudo dnf clean all would help if it happens again.

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Nice tip to try next time for any other package. Thanks a lot!. Clean all didn’t help. I’m doing it regularly since the ancient times when there were problems with apt-cacher and zchunk issues. I’ll try the other tip next time similar thing happens