Templates: can a template be replaced by another with the same name?

[Leeteqxv]

I have a relatively newly cloned template of fedora23 used by only one
or two AppVMs, but never really gotten any special customisations.

Meanwhile, I have done some updates/additional software installs in the
main fedora23 template, so if I want to save time I hope I can just
clone it again without having to update the existing clone? Can I do it
like this..:

1. delete the cloned template.

2. clone fedora23 again onto a new clone using EXACTLY the same name as
the first clone that was deleted in step 1.

Question:

- the existing AppVMs that are already based on a template with that
name, will they now just continue to work against the new clone, or is
there anything else than the template NAME that affects the link between
AppVMs and their templates?

[Andrew David Wong]

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Qubes won't let you delete a template while AppVMs are still based on it. You'll have to temporarily switch those one or two AppVMs to a different template, delete the one you don't want, clone the one you want, then switch them to the new clone.

- --
Andrew David Wong (Axon)
Community Manager, Qubes OS
https://www.qubes-os.org
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[yaqu]

On Thu, 1 Dec 2016 14:10:08 -0800, Andrew David Wong <a...@qubes-os.org>
wrote:

> > 1. delete the cloned template.
> >
> > 2. clone fedora23 again onto a new clone using EXACTLY the same
> > name as the first clone that was deleted in step 1.
> >
> > Question:
> >
> > - the existing AppVMs that are already based on a template with
> > that name, will they now just continue to work against the new
> > clone, or is there anything else than the template NAME that
> > affects the link between AppVMs and their templates?
> >
>
> Qubes won't let you delete a template while AppVMs are still based on
> it. You'll have to temporarily switch those one or two AppVMs to a
> different template, delete the one you don't want, clone the one you
> want, then switch them to the new clone.

Or, to avoid switching AppVM's template multiple times, one could:

1. clone template (under temporary name)
2. switch AppVMs to the new template
3. delete the old template
4. rename cloned template to the final name

--
yaqu

[Leeteqxv]

Thanks for the explanation. 1-3 is probably enough unless the original
name is important for some reason.