sdwdate-gui: Secure Distributed Web Date Graphical User Interface

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sdwdate-gui systray with popup on mouse hover

sdwdate - Secure Distributed Web Date - systray - graphical user interface (GUI) - Homepage

Overview[edit]

sdwdate-gui is an optional graphical user interface (GUI) for sdwdate. sdwdate-gui can optionally be configured to block networking until sdwdate finishes, preventing potential leakage of the time before it is changed.

Rationale[edit]

sdwdate-gui's purpose is to provide users with a clear, interactive way to monitor and manage time synchronization.

1. Visual Monitoring:

  • Displays the status of sdwdate (a secure time-synchronization tool).
  • Shows whether the system time has been synchronized with secure onion time sources.

2. User-Friendly Notifications:

  • Shows systray error icon if there are issues with time synchronization.
  • Helps ensure the user knows whether network time synchronization has been completed, a critical factor for security.
  • The GUI makes this process more transparent and accessible to users who prefer a graphical interface.

3. Debugging and Control:

  • Offers a way to manually interact with or troubleshoot sdwdate if needed.
  • Provides easy access to diagnostic information (log) for advanced users to ensure the synchronization service is functioning as intended.
  • Encourages advanced users to monitor, review, audit sdwdate's operation.

In summary, sdwdate-gui simplifies the interaction with the sdwdate service, ensuring secure and anonymous time synchronization.

Screenshots[edit]

Figure: sdwdate-gui Systray with Popup on Mouse Hover

Figure: sdwdate-gui Functions

Figure: sdwdate-gui Successful Time Fetching

Troubleshooting[edit]

Kicksecure for Qubes - Unexpected Autostart of kicksecure[edit]

Follow instructions multiple Kicksecure-Qubes Kicksecure. [1]

Configuration[edit]

Disable Autostart[edit]

The following instructions disable autostart of sdwdate-gui but do not disable autostart of sdwdate.

1. Platform specific notice.

  • Qubes users note: Apply the following steps Kicksecure (kicksecure-17) Template. [2]
  • Other Kicksecure users note: No special notice.

2. Create file /etc/sdwdate-gui.d/50_user.conf. [3]

Open file /etc/sdwdate-gui.d/50_user.conf in an editor with root rights.

Kicksecure

See Open File with Root Rights The Web Archive Onion Version for detailed instructions on why to use sudoedit for better security and how to use it.

sudoedit /etc/sdwdate-gui.d/50_user.conf

Kicksecure for Qubes

NOTES:

sudoedit /etc/sdwdate-gui.d/50_user.conf

  • After applying this change, shutdown the Template.
  • All App Qubes based on the Template need to be restarted if they were already running.
  • This is a general procedure required for Qubes and unspecific to Kicksecure for Qubes.

Others and Alternatives

  • This is just an example. Other tools could achieve the same goal.
  • If this example does not work for you or if you are not using Kicksecure, please refer to this link.

sudoedit /etc/sdwdate-gui.d/50_user.conf

3. Paste.

disable=true

4. Save.

5. Done.

The process of disabling autostart of sdwdate-gui is now complete.

See Also[edit]

Development[edit]

The sdwdate-gui source code can be found herearchive.org.

Interested readers can follow open sdwdate-gui development discussion herearchive.org.

Footnotes[edit]

  1. Qubes bug report: https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-issues/issues/5253archive.org
  2. To change this setting per App Qube instead for all App Qubes, alternatively Qubes users might want to use folder /usr/local/etc/sdwdate-gui.d in App Qubes instead of the Template since that folder in AppVM would persist after reboot and does not require changes in Template.

    1. Create folder /usr/local/etc/sdwdate-gui.d. sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/etc/sdwdate-gui.d 2. Then edit file /usr/local/etc/sdwdate-gui.d/50_user.conf instead of /etc/sdwdate-gui.d/50_user.conf.
  3. https://github.com/Kicksecure/sdwdate-gui/blob/master/etc/sdwdate-gui.d/30_default.confarchive.org

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