Update troubleshooting

“Failed to synchronize cache for repo” errors when updating Fedora templates

This is a general Fedora issue, not one that is Qubes-specific. Usually, the issue is due to network problems (especially if downloading updates over Tor) or problems with the download mirrors. Often, the problem can be resolved by trying again on a different connection (a different Tor circuit, if using Tor) or waiting and trying again later. Sometimes you may need to clear the dnf cache. Here are some examples of non-Qubes reports about this problem:

More examples can be found by searching for “Failed to synchronize cache for repo” (with quotation marks) on your preferred search engine.

Lost internet access after a template update

In earlier versions of Qubes, there were situations where qubes lost internet access after a template update. The following fix should be applied in recent versions of Qubes.

Run systemctl enable NetworkManager-dispatcher.service in the template upon which your NetVM is based. You may have to reboot afterward for the change to take effect. (Note: This is an upstream problem. See this Redhat ticket). For details, see the qubes-users mailing list threads here and here.)

Windows update is stuck

This has nothing to do with Qubes. It’s a longstanding Windows bug. More information about this issue and solutions can be found here.

Dom0 and/or template update stalls when updating via the GUI tool

This can usually be fixed by updating via the command line.

In dom0, open a terminal and run sudo qubes-dom0-update.

Depending on your operating system, open a terminal in the templates and run:

Fedora: sudo dnf upgrade
Debian: apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade