Whonix ™ Windows Installer - Design Documentation

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Work in progress.

Design / Features[edit]

WhonixStarter(.exe):

  • new implementation of whonix.exe in lazarus (without NET framework)
  • platform independent ( later linux/mac version possible )
  • ui consists of two forms ( main & error )
  • main form has two buttons for start/stop and manage Whonix VMs
  • error form pops up if virtualbox is missing

WhonixStarterSetup.msi:

  • installs windows version of WhonixStarter
  • adds start menu entry
  • adds desktop shortcut
  • uninstall over Windows "Programs and Features" tool

WhonixSetup(.exe):

  • ui consists of a main form with several pages guiding the user through the installation process
  • platform independent ( later linux/mac version possible )
  • installs VirtualBox and WhonixOVA
  • executes WhonixStarterSetup.msi (Windows only)
  • checks installed and only reinstall missing components
  • does not uninstall or delete any component

Challenges:

  • Whonix .ova is bigger than 2 GB.
  • Windows .cab files have a hardcoded 2 GB maximum file size.

Requirements:

  • cross compile on Debian (source) for Windows (target)
  • building does not require Windows

Build limitations:

  • needs Debian bookworm or above because of minimal wixl and lazarus version

flow chart[edit]

(1) Whonix-Starter:

  • lazbuild → WhonixStarter.lpr → WhonixStarter.exe
  • wixl → WhonixStarterSetup.wxs → WhonixStarter.exe, WhonixStarterSetup.wxs → WhonixStarterSetup.msi

(2) Whonix-Installer:

  • lazbuild → WhonixSetup.lpr → WhonixSetup.exe
  • WhonixSetup.exe + append + Whonix.ova → WhonixSetup-XFCE.exe

CI[edit]

Whonix-Starter:

Whonix-Installer:

code signing[edit]

Introduction[edit]

EV (extended validation) certificate required to avoid Microsoft SmartScreen Filter warning message.

requirements[edit]

  • EV code signing for Windows authenticode to avoid Microsoft SmartScreen Filter warning message.
  • cross signing
  • build scripts running on Debian Linux
  • build result (program) running on Windows 64 bit
  • avoid running proprietary closed source software on local build machine
  • can be fully automated using build scripts
  • avoid hardware token (compatibility, hassle)
  • avoid proprietary closed source device drivers
  • ideally avoid non-mainline Linux kernel drivers
  • supports signing big files

providers[edit]

thalesgroup:

  • asked

Certum:

sectigo:

certerassl:

ssl.com:

Google Cloud HSM;

TODO[edit]

merge[edit]

Reminder: Always please merge first before developing further.

new file location - FYI[edit]

ppcross_install has been moved.

https://github.com/Kicksecure/developer-meta-files/blob/master/usr/bin/ppcross_installarchive.org

FYI (for your interest) only. This ticket (wiki chapter) can be deleted after reading.

Feel free to use this wiki page as a notepad for developers too by making notes somewhere else outside the TODO chapter.

avoid use of lazarus - replace with free pascal compiler[edit]

lazarus is an IDE, but not a compiler, right?

Can use of lazarus on command line be avoided?

(It can stay in the script as comment but out commented by default.)

Reason: Simplification; avoid dependency installation

Can the command be replaced with the free pascal compiler instead?

einsiedler90:

no, we need the binary lazbuild to compile a lazarus project from cmd, which is part of lazarus. fpc is the compiler, thats right, but it has not all the dependencies of WhonixStarter/Installer. it is impossible to compile this project without the LCL.

document ppcross_install[edit]

Why is ppcross_installarchive.org needed even on Debian bookworm?

Is it because Debian doesn't compile with "make crossinstall"?

The fp-compiler (fpc) manpagearchive.org states:

-sh

Tells the compiler to generate a script that can be used to assemble and link on the host system, not on the target system. Use this when cross-compiling.

-st

Tells the compiler to generate a script that can be used to assemble and link on the target system, not on the host system. Use this when cross-compiling.

Does that help?

Otherwise can this be reported against Debian as a question, a bug or feature request? If yes, please write a draft for a feature request. (Patrick will review and post it.)

Bug report probably already exists: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=845498archive.org

Does this help...? https://gist.github.com/o11c/cf98115ba716ebdd1dc2cc75b290f321archive.org

einsiedler90:

fpc is a kind of wrapper that redirects to the cross/compiler. we could use ppcx64 to compile from linux 64bit to windows 64bit, but it cannot found the windows system units without the install_ppcross() steps in the script. it generates the needed precompiled windows units in /usr/lib/fpc/X.X.X/units/x86_64-win64

if a debian package with this files exists somewhere in the wild we could use this instead.

avoid use of git clone[edit]

ppcross_install

abolish need to fetch from https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/fpc/source.gitarchive.org

just use the existing compiler from Debian[edit]

fpc -Twin64 -Fi/usr/share/fpcsrc/3.2.2/rtl/win64 -Fi/usr/share/fpcsrc/3.2.2/rtl/win -Fi/usr/share/fpcsrc/3.2.2/rtl/inc -Fi/usr/share/fpcsrc/3.2.2/rtl/x86_64 -Fu/usr/share/fpcsrc/3.2.2/rtl/win64 -Fu/usr/share/fpcsrc/3.2.2/rtl/inc -FU/tmp/rtl -FE/tmp test

based on fpc source package[edit]

Could it be based on apt-get source?

apt-get source fpc

Contains same contents as https://salsa.debian.org/pascal-team/fpcarchive.org? No. Debian does some modifications.archive.org Lacks Makefile.fpc, which can be re-generated.

Can we edit https://salsa.debian.org/pascal-team/fpc/-/blob/master/debian/rulesarchive.org to add cross compilation? Maybe not even needed.

debian/rules is a makefile.

make -f debian/rules

It supports ifdef (similar to an environment variable) CROSSOPT. On Debian source packages are usually built using dpkg-buildpackage. It might be as simple as setting the correct environment variables. Here's an untested attempt.

sudo apt build-dep fpc

CROSSINSTALL=1 CROSSOPT="OS_TARGET=x86_64 CPU_TARGET=win64" dpkg-buildpackage

Setting the environment variable might be more complicated than initially editing debian/rules manually.

maybe helpful: https://wiki.debian.org/PortsDocs/BootstrappingFPCarchive.org

regenerate Makefile.fpc

https://wiki.freepascal.org/Fpcmakearchive.org

fpcmake -w -Tall

fpcmake -w -Tx86_64-win64

based on fpc-source binary package[edit]

Less promising approach.

sudo apt install fpc-source

sudo apt install fpc-source -t bullseye-backports

cd /usr/share/fpcsrc

cd /usr/share/fpcsrc/3.2.2/compiler/

fpcmake

building on Debian stable - bullseye[edit]

building Whonix-Installer on Debian stable - bullseye[edit]

Whonix-Installer 

+ lazbuild -B WhonixSetup.lpr --cpu=x86_64 --os=win64 --compiler=/usr/bin/ppcrossx64
CopySecondaryConfigFile /etc/lazarus/environmentoptions.xml -> /home/user/.lazarus/environmentoptions.xml
Error: (lazbuild) project has no main unit
Error: Process completed with exit code 2.

Unfixable?

building Whonix-Starter on Debian stable - bullseye[edit]

Whonix-Starter 

+ lazbuild -B Whonix.lpr --cpu=x86_64 --os=win64 --compiler=/usr/bin/ppcrossx64
CopySecondaryConfigFile /etc/lazarus/environmentoptions.xml -> /home/user/.lazarus/environmentoptions.xml
Error: (lazbuild) project has no main unit
Error: Process completed with exit code 2.

Unfixable?

See Also[edit]

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