Signal-Desktop on Qubes R4.0 with whonix

User Support
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I am using the nitropad x230 and have successfully installed signal desktop but when signal attempts to make a connection it says “failed to connect to server” and “try again”. I have seen other posts about this topic where people mentioned using other ports or changing proxy/firewall settings. I still cannot seem to keep signal from moving past this point. any suggestions are welcome

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@stonethegerlad:

I answered with some basic questions in the other thread – you haven’t really given any account of the steps you’ve taken to install signal and I cannot guess them.

Please keep it to one thread. Let’s answer the questions here then:

  • have you set a netvm for this qube?
  • are any firewall rules set?
  • have you installed it based on debian-minimal?
  • have you installed qubes-core-agent-networking?
  • when you say “with whonix” do you meant “installed in whonix-ws” or “connected to sys-whonix”?

The talk about proxy port 8082 was about downloading things into the template, which is always offline. You are not trying to run signal inside the template, are you?

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Hi, yes that would be my main issue then. I see that I must connect the template to a net vm template? These are the instructions I followed from whonix: Send Signal Messages over Tor with Whonix ™. There are no firewall settings in the ws-16 template. Must I create a netVM template and copy signal to that qube?

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that would be my main issue then.

What?

I see that I must connect the template to a net vm template?

No!

You MUST NOT run signal or any other application in the template. You ONLY install software there.

You should use the qube that is based on the template, run signal there and this qube must be connected to a netvm (e.g. sys-whonix).

These are the instructions I followed from whonix: Send Signal Messages over Tor with Whonix ™

Must I create a netVM template and copy signal to that qube?

  1. templates are qubes that are never connected to the internet and you do not run any software in them; they are meant to by a template for the system part of your qubes

  2. AppVM qubes are based on templates and have two parts: a system/root part (always copied from the template when the qube starts, so no persistence here) and a private/home part for your data (this part persists)

  3. ProxyVM/NetVM are qubes that provide networking to other qubes (but should never be connected to a template!)

Please familiarize yourself with the basics.

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