Here are short instructions to build an up to date Fedora template the absolute quickest way and minimal headache. Maybe not 60 seconds...but this is a high level overview.
Advantages and disadvantages are covered after.
# Get the qubes builder
git clone https://github.com/QubesOS/qubes-builder
cd qubes-builder
# Use the base config already in the repo
cp example-configs/templates.conf builder.conf
# Append custom settings to builder.conf
# Better to update values in-place, but this is the 60 second version
cat >>builder.conf <<EOF
# Build Fedora 33; fc33+minimal or other flavors could be given
DISTS_VM = fc33
# Use the Qubes online repo for Qubes packages since we are not building them
USE_QUBES_REPO_VERSION = \$(RELEASE)
# Use the 'current' repo; not 'current-testing'
USE_QUBES_REPO_TESTING = 0
# Don't build dom0 packages
TEMPLATE_ONLY = 1
# Since this is TEMPLATE_ONLY, list the only components needed
TEMPLATE = builder-rpm linux-template-builder
EOF
# install build dependencies
make install-deps
# Download and verify sources (only Qubes git repos)
make get-sources-git
# Build the template
make template
The template will be at qubes-src/linux-template-builder/rpm/noarch/*.rpm
To give the template a different name so that it can be installed alongside the official Fedora templates and is not seen as an update,
make TEMPLATE_NAME=fedorabuilt template
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
This same process should in theory work on other templates (Debian, Archlinux), but may require some COMPONENTS to be built first.
This means: add more components to the TEMPLATE variable, make get-sources, make qubes-vm, then make template.