Windows USB integration with R4.1

enmus · December 13, 2021, 8:32pm

Audio is indeed much, much more clearer, but very choppy and lagging while System Interrupts and audiodg.exe take 15-25% CPU.

brendanhoar · December 13, 2021, 9:23pm

Is this enough for now?

B

enmus · December 13, 2021, 9:41pm

Oh, sorry. I thought you wanted a feedback about your suggestion regarding disabling uas.

brendanhoar · December 14, 2021, 11:29am

Oh that’s absolutely useful!

Sorry, just wanted to be sure you had a workable system.

@jevank and the Qubes team will likely track the issue with streams (and therefore UAS) support within the USB->VMs feature set (e.g. kernels, stubdomains, usbip, etc.).

B

deeplow · March 17, 2022, 8:42pm

12 posts were split to a new topic: QWT on Win XP

Sforg · May 4, 2022, 5:06pm

I am having several problems with usb integration in qubes 4.1. I initially wrote in another post in a somewhat rambling manner, apologies can you delete, not having found this post immediately. I am trying to write the issue more clearly now.

I installed a fresh version of Windows LTSC as a Standalone VM after upgrading to qubes 4.1 from 4.0. In the previous version, the VM was working perfectly.

I followed the tutorial to install @jevank qubes-windows-tools-cross, which I also installed in dom0, and I had also already installed the package xen-hvm-stubdom-linux-full. I also installed the xenbus and xenvbd drivers as suggested in another guide.
My qvm-features output is

stubdom-qrexec 1
rpc-clipboard 1
os Windows
audio-model ich6

The audio works quite well and the VM starts up without any problems, suggesting that the gui features have been taken well. However, when I try to copy any files from another vm the output is:
Filed to execute qubes.Filecopy (From nameVM to namewindowsVM).

The content of the policy is $anyvm $anyvm ask. Modifications to it have not produced any results.
What could this be about? Should I perhaps modify the new 5.0 policy in some way? However, I still don’t quite understand how to do this. Should I install additional drivers? Could it be something to do with how I created the VM?
Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance.

enmus · May 4, 2022, 11:04pm

Which tutorial and which version?

Which version too?

Which guide and why didn’t you use the ones provided with QWT?

Which policy, and what is the whole content of it?

Which modifications?

Sforg · May 5, 2022, 12:54am

Sorry for my english, the tutorial is the readme file on github . It builded the versiom 4.1.67-1

Version 1.2.3-1fc32 enabling current-testing repo

At the beginning, I start from the official qubes-os page which link me to this github, that makes me install a previous version of QWT.
Only after a while and a deeper searching I finally found the QWT from tabitpro team.
I haven’t been able to read the forum for a while.

The qubes.Filecopy policy Which I mentioned above and which gives me the error. I tried some changes to allow the copy to the winVM without success, but always restoring the file.
The complete content is:

disp-mgmt-fedora-33 fedora-33 allow,user=root
disp-mgmt-debian-10 debian-10 allow,user=root
## Note that policy parsing stops at the first match,
## so adding anything below "$anyvm $anyvm action" line will have no effect

## Please use a single # to start your custom comments

$anyvm  $anyvm  ask

tzwcfq · May 5, 2022, 7:55am

Just a few days ago I’ve installed Windows 10 with QWT on Qubes 4.1 current-testing according to these guides:

github.com

Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/os/windows/windows-vm41.md

Installing a Windows VM
=======================

You can install Windows just like any other OS as an [HVM](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/hvm/), if you just want something simple and you can live without some features. This works for Windows XP, 7, 10 and 11, and it may work for Windows 8 and 8.1, although this has not been tested.

You will get an environment in which basic functions are supported, but integration into the Qubes environment is rather restricted. The following functions will work right out of the box:

- display (1440x900 or 1280x1024 are a nice fit onto FHD hw display)
- keyboard (incl. correct mapping), pointing device
- network (emulated Realtek NIC)
- audio output and input (available even without QWT installation if `qvm-features audio-model` is set as `ich6`)

For better integration, a set of drivers and services, called Qubes Windows Tools (QWT) is available. Installation of these tools is straightforward and is described in a [separate document](https://github.com/Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/os/windows/windows-tools41.md). QWT’s main features are:

- copy/paste between qubes
- copy files between qubes
- attaching USB devices to the qube
- attaching block devices to the qube (XEN PV disk driver must be installed)
- automatically set up networking
- automatically set up time/clock synchronization

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github.com

Qubes-Community/Contents/blob/master/docs/os/windows/windows-tools41.md

Qubes Windows Tools
===================

Qubes Windows Tools (QWT) are a set of programs and drivers that provide integration of Windows 7, 10 and 11 Standalone, TemplateVMs and AppVMs with the rest of the Qubes system. They contain several components than can be enabled or disabled during installation:

- **Shared components (required)** - common libraries used by QWT components
- **Qubes Core Agent** - qrexec agent and services. Needed for proper integration with Qubes
- **Qubes GUI Agent** - video driver and GUI agent that enable the seamless GUI mode that integrates windows apps onto the common Qubes trusted desktop (currently only for Windows 7)
- **Disable UAC** - User Account Control may interfere with QWT and doesn't really provide any additional benefits in Qubes environment
- **Clipboard sender/receiver** - Support for [secure clipboard copy/paste](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/copy-paste/) between the Windows VM and other AppVMs
- **File sender/receiver** - Support for [secure file exchange](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/copying-files/) between the Windows VM and other AppVMs
- **Copy/Edit in Disposable VM** - Support for editing files in DisposableVMs as well as for `qvm-run` and generic `qrexec` for the Windows VM (e.g. ability to run custom service within/from the Windows VM)
- **Audio** - Audio support requires R4.1 and is available even without QWT installation if `qvm-features audio-model` is set as `ich6`
- **Xen PV drivers** - drivers for the virtual hardware exposed by Xen for Windows that increase performance compared to QEMU emulated devices and are required for attaching USB devices
   - Base Xen PV Drivers (required): paravirtual bus and interface drivers
   - Xen PV Disk Drivers: paravirtual storage drivers
   - Xen PV Network Drivers: paravirtual network drivers
   - Move user profiles: user profile directory (`C:\users`) is moved to VM's private disk backed by `private.img file` in `dom0` (useful mainly for HVM templates).
	
	> **Note**: Xen PV disk drivers are not installed by default. This is because they seem to cause problems (BSOD = Blue Screen Of Death). We're working with upstream devs to fix this. *However*, the BSOD seems to only occur after the first boot and everything works fine after that. **Enable the drivers at your own risk** of course, but we welcome reports of success/failure in any case (backup your VM first!). With disk PV drivers absent `qvm-block` will not work for the VM, but you can still use standard Qubes inter-VM file copying mechanisms. On the other hand, the Xen PV drivers allow USB device access even without QWT installation if `qvm-features stubdom-qrexec` is set as `1`

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The file copy works fine and I didn’t change any policies.
Also I didn’t build the QWT ISO by myself but got the ISO with latest version 4.1.67-1 from github as stated in the guide above.
Try to install the Windows HVM by following the guides above.

jevank · May 5, 2022, 8:13am

It is available latest qubes-windows-tools-4.1.68 in current-testing repository now.
[user@dom0 ~]$ qubes-dom0-update --enablerepo=qubes-dom0-current-testing qubes-windows-tools

enmus · May 5, 2022, 5:11pm

Sforg:

The qubes.Filecopy policy Which I mentioned above and which gives me the error. I tried some changes to allow the copy to the winVM without success, but always restoring the file.
The complete content is:
disp-mgmt-fedora-33 fedora-33 allow,user=root
disp-mgmt-debian-10 debian-10 allow,user=root
## Note that policy parsing stops at the first match,
## so adding anything below "$anyvm $anyvm action" line will have no effect

## Please use a single # to start your custom comments

$anyvm  $anyvm  ask

I don’t have such a policy on my 4.1?
In 4.1 this is found in 90-default.policy and it is by default set as

# File copy/move
qubes.Filecopy * @anyvm @anyvm ask

And if you are running fedora-33, it is EOL and you should upgrade it to at least fedora-34, although I’m using fedora-35 since last year and find it great.
Maybe it’s a problem somewhere around this?

Sforg · May 7, 2022, 9:18pm

I had already set up fedora-34, thanks for pointing that out! I directly deleted the policy, which was probably left over from 4.0. After that I updated QWT to dom0 and did the windows update, but nothing still gave me the same qubes.Filecopy error.

So I decided not to be stubborn and to reinstall a WinVM, this time installing QWT cross IMMEDIATELY BEFORE doing any other action (Activation, debloating, installing programs, changing qvm-features etc). As also written in the Windows installation instructions in qubes.

Now everything works as it should. Also, no appmenus command needed. Thanks to the tabita-pro team for their work and you all who advised me.

GWeck · May 8, 2022, 12:19pm

I checked to install QWT 4.1.68.1 over 4.1.67.1 on a Windows 7 system. The installation got stuck on trying to reinstall the PV Network Class Drivers Package. Installing without the PV Network drivers went fine, and afterward, this package could be installed without problems, by changing the QWT installation. Funny.

I’ll check with Windows 10 and 11 in the next few days.

GWeck · May 9, 2022, 10:06am

Upgrade with Windows 10 and 11 went without problems, and installation on a “virgin” Windows 7, too. So we finally have a version that can be easily installed on all three versions of Windows. Congratulations at @jevank!!!

I’ll update the documentation on QWT accordingly.

GWeck · May 10, 2022, 10:13am

I’ve updated the description of QWT installation and created a pull request. So, finally, Windows comes out of the shadow! (And Windows users need a lot of sun…)

TheGardner · May 10, 2022, 1:35pm

wonder how I get v68.1 …?
Whenever I do sudo qubes-dom0-update --enablerepo=qubes-dom0-current-testing qubes-windows-tools it’s telling me at the end, that the newest version v67.1 is already installed…

jevank · May 10, 2022, 1:40pm

With temporary enabled current-testing repo you need to specify action to upgrade existing package, default action is install.

qubes-dom0-update --enablerepo=qubes-dom0-current-testing --action=upgrade qubes-windows-tools

GWeck · May 10, 2022, 2:26pm

I already considered if I should mention it - probably better to do it. I changed the documentation accordingly and created a new pull request.

Thanks for the hint!

SteveC · June 24, 2022, 5:20am

This looks like an appropriate place to ask this question.

I have a usb printer. I have drivers for windows 7 SP 1. The drivers are installed there.

I just created the sys-usb qube (that is modified for a usb keyboard and mouse) yesterday.

How do I get windows to see the doggone printer?

I’ve done the following:

update with current-testing repos
sudo qubes-dom0-update --enablerepo=qubes-dom0-current-testing
install advanced variant linux stubdomain (now available only in current-testing repos):
sudo qubes-dom0-update --enablerepo=qubes-dom0-current-testing xen-hvm-stubdom-linux-full
enable feature to windows qube
qvm-features [windows qube] stubdom-qrexec 1

(from the very first post in the thread)

The one thing I cannot figure out how to do in that list is:

update and restart sys-usb with current-testing repos too

because no command was given (it’s a debian-11-dvm qube.

I have no idea if I’m even proceeding correctly (I sure hope so, it took half an hour to download half a gigabyte of god-knows-what into dom0).

I’m pretty sure that after I get the software ducks in a row, the printer must be assigned to the qube in the Qubes device thingamajig, before the windows qube can see it.

tzwcfq · June 24, 2022, 5:36am

You need to do this in the TemplateVM for debian-11-dvm (debian-11 or something).
debian-11-dvm is template for disposables but it’s still AppVM and not TemplateVM.