"<qube> failed to execute getDate in dom0" frequently when shutting down qubes

[andrewdavidwong]

How to file a helpful issue

Qubes OS release

4.1.1

Brief summary

A notification in dom0 saying something like " failed to execute getDate in dom0" frequently occurs when shutting down qubes. Some users seem to see this more frequently with disposables and/or when shutting down a qube very quickly after starting it. It seems to be relatively harmless, but it does prompt users to wonder:

https://forum.qubes-os.org/t/what-does-dispxxx-failed-to-execute-getdate-in-dom0-mean/16695

Steps to reproduce

Try starting a disposable then immediately shutting it down.

Expected behavior

No message about getDate.

Actual behavior

Message about getDate as described above.

[lubellier]

Not exactly the same issue than #7067 and #7013 but looks near...

[GrassfedMeatSticks]

Hi,

I stumbled upon this issue while researching this error and thought I'd come back to share my finding/solution.

In my case, I was experimenting with the qubes-app-shutdown-idle package in a minimal Fedora 38 template on Qubes 4.1.2 (R4.1) and found that a TIMEOUT_SECONDS value in the TemplateVM's /lib/python3.11/site-packages/qubesidle/idleness_monitor.py of 10 seconds reliably produced this error in downstream App/dispVMs, but 15 seconds did not. I tested these values a couple of times to confirm; I did not test values 11-14.

Of course, when it comes to utilizing qubes-app-shutdown-idle, the downstream App/dispVM must have the Settings -> Basic (tab) -> Shut down when idle for more than 15 minutes checked (It would be more helpful if this checkbox could be labeled something more like "Enable qubes-app-shutdown-idle" since the TIMEOUT_SECONDS value is configurable and not always 15 minutes).

I hope this data point helps.