sys-whonix does not auto start on initial first boot

[zellchristensen]

Qubes OS version
R4.0.3

Affected component(s) or functionality
Qube settings/manager

Brief summary
After an initial clean install of Qubes, on the first boot, three base VMs are started automatically, sys-usb, sys-net, and sys-firewall. Only when the user restarts for the first time does sys-whonix auto start.

To Reproduce
Install Qubes with default settings in the installer. (dom0 and template updates through Whonix is NOT selected)

Expected behavior
All default VMs that have the setting "Start qube automatically on boot" would be started on the initial boot.

Actual behavior
Only three of the Qubes with the auto start setting are started on initial boot. On restart, the original 3 plus sys-whonix auto start.

Additional context
I like to disable the automatic starting of most qubes.
When I reinstall Qubes, I always forget to uncheck the auto start setting for sys-whonix since it's not running at initial boot.
On the next restart of Qubes, sys-whonix auto starts, which causes a cascade startup of its netVMs making me think I forgot to uncheck those too.

[zellchristensen]

Just wanted to note that sys-whonix fails to auto boot on initial startup in R4.1 as well.

[adrelanos]

Is this still an issue?

What does the label C: Whonix express? Whonix affected in some way, yes, ok. But it's not something that I could fix inside the Qubes-Whonix templates. It's up to Qubes dom0. Probably related to Qubes installer, Qubes Initial Setup and/or Qubes salt.

related / blocker(?):

• Qubes Initial Setup impossible to debug #7244 because I couldn't really observe what Qubes Initial Setup is doing.

[DemiMarie]

What does the label C: Whonix express? Whonix affected in some way, yes, ok.

@andrewdavidwong what does that label mean?

[andrewdavidwong]

What does the label C: Whonix express? Whonix affected in some way, yes, ok.

@andrewdavidwong what does that label mean?

It means that the affected component (or one of the affected components) is Whonix. I'm not a Whonix dev, so when I apply this label, it is merely a first-pass, best-effort, provisional, initial triage organization attempt. I rely on you, the devs (both Whonix and non-Whonix), to inform the accurate updating of these labels, as you all are the only ones with the requisite expertise to make authoritative technical diagnoses (not me, not users). I welcome any feedback, guidance, or advice you may have about how the issue tracker can serve you better. Ultimately, it is a tool to support your work, and my aim is to maintain it for that primary purpose.