Xfce4-netload-plugin - how to install it properly?

Hi,

I installed xfce4-netload-plugin in fedora-36 template (using sudo dnf install) with the intention to have a network monitoring tool on the panel. However, the plugin does not show up in Panel → Add New Items menu.

I suppose I have done something wrong.
How should it be done properly?

sudo qubes-dom0-update --enablerepo=qubes-template-itl-testing qubes-template-fedora-36

or

qvm-template-gui

all in don0 terminal

@HPOA909 thanks for the quick reply!

The docs say to be extremely cautious when installing software in dom0. As I am still learning, I hope you don’t mind a few extra questions:

What does the command you recommend do?
Why does it not mention xfce4-netload-plugin?
What are the security implications of doing all that? (I just wonder if there is specific security reason not to have that XFCE plugin by default)

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I suspect the speed of the reply was because @HPOA909 didn’t read your
question properly.
The first command installs the fedora-36 template from the testing
repository.
The second opens a GUI tool for installing templates.

It’s possible that an updated template will solve your issue - if
that were the case, you could probably get the same result by enabling the
testing repositories in the template, and updating the template, instead
of installing new.

In answer to your questions:

  1. As above
  2. Because the command relates to templates, not individual packages.
  3. Security implication? Don’t blindly follow advice on the Forum without
    understanding it. Asking for more information was exactly the right
    thing to do.

As to your specific issue? I’ll install a Fedora template and see if I
can help (Since I use neither Xfce nor Fedora, I’m at a disadvantage.)

I never presume to speak for the Qubes team.
When I comment in the Forum or in the mailing lists I speak for myself.
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@unman thank you for the clarifications.

IIUC, the answer of @HPOA909 is not the answer to the question (please correct me if I am wrong).

It’s possible that an updated template will solve your issue - if
that were the case, you could probably get the same result by enabling the
testing repositories in the template, and updating the template, instead
of installing new.

Doesn’t that (testing repositories) have its own security implications too?

  1. Security implication? Don’t blindly follow advice on the Forum without
    understanding it. Asking for more information was exactly the right
    thing to do.

Great. Then I hope someone will provide that information as I can’t find it (at least directly mentioned) in the docs.

As to your specific issue? I’ll install a Fedora template and see if I
can help (Since I use neither Xfce nor Fedora, I’m at a disadvantage.)

Thanks. Looking forward to it!

Thanks mate

@unman

Did you have a chance to find out anything?

Looking again at the documentation about how to install software I “dared” to install it like this in dom0:

sudo qubes-dom0-update xfce4-netload-plugin

and I could add the visual tool to the panel. However, it shows no traffic which, I guess, is due to the fact that dom0 has no network access.

Now the question transforms into:

How to install the plugin in the proper domU (I suppose that would be sys-net) and still be able to monitor network speed in a convenient way (e.g. on panel or otherwise)?

For me, I used Google Wifi to monitor my network traffic. However, you can only install in the sys-net template qube to be safe from all of the plugin malware attacks from those things that I don’t know what it’s called.

My question is about Qubes OS due to its specifics.

So far I figured out how to start a separate small panel in sys-net and add the plugin to it. However it is visually inconvenient because it has a title bar and a frame and on each start it gets placed at the bottom center of the desktop (and not where I placed it the previous run).