Resize Root Disk Image is a difficult process and has usability issues - root-image-resize cli tool - QVMM

[adrelanos]

Qubes OS version (e.g., R3.1):

R3.1

Affected TemplateVMs (e.g., fedora-23, if applicable):

any

Steps to reproduce the behavior:

QVMM -> any TemplateVM -> settings -> increase system storage - ok

Expected behavior:

When increasing the size in QVMM should just work out of the box.

Actual behavior:

Cryptic contradictory error messages.

If the TemplateVM is not running...

ERROR: Basic tab:
VM start required to complete the operation, but not allowed. Either run the operation again allowing VM start this time, or run resize2fs in the VM manually.

If the TemplateVM is running...

ERROR: Basic tab:
Cannot resize root.img of running VM

Size of the TemplateVM will not be increased. One has to find the documentation https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/resize-root-disk-image/ and act according to it. The documentation is correct in principle but difficult to apply to lets someone trying to increase whonix-gw TemplateVM. (Lots of manual conversions have to be done in ones mind such as shutting down sys-whonix, setting whonix-gw NetVM to none so sys-whonix will not be automatically started.)

General notes:

• The QVMM gui implies that increasing the root image size is a simple process while it is not.
  • If it is not possible to increase the root disk image while the TemplateVM is running and/or any TemplateBasedVMs based on that TemplateVM are running, then the field to increase the root disk image should be grayed out or so. Or perhaps offer some click-through / wizard to automate all of what is required.
  • shut down any TemplateBasedVM based on that TemplateVM
  • shut down the TemplateVM
  • set the NetVM of that TemplateVM to none
  • truncate -s XXXG /var/lib/qubes/vm-templates/YYY/root.img
  • boot that TemplateVM
    • sudo resize2fs /dev/mapper/dmroot
    • shutdown that TemplateVM
  • set the NetVM of that TemplateVM back to last setting
  • Maybe the resize root image process should be automated in a separate cli tool that gets called from QVMM.
• The documentation https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/resize-root-disk-image/ should primarily refer to how to increase the root image size using the gui, using QVMM. Command line instructions should be made secondary. Further down on that page on a separate documentation page.

[desmond-decker]

I can confirm that increasing the root disk size in the QVMM GUI not only causes weird error dialogs, but can also render a TemplateVM completely unusable. I think the suggestion to grey it out is a good one.

[desmond-decker]

I can confirm that increasing the root disk size in the QVMM GUI not only causes weird error dialogs, but can also render a TemplateVM completely unusable. I think the suggestion to grey it out is a good one.