Arch Linux

Kassanova708

Member

From: Brooklyn Hieghts

Registered: 2008-10-19

Posts: 7

LUKS encrypted root problems

I am installing Arch on a USB stick with encryption, but it never boots, the process is always halted with a panic when the initrd is passing booting to the kernel.  Everything is setup using UUIDs, and they are working.  Encryption is luks aes-xts with a 256 bit key, under it is an XFS parition.  I followed the LUKS Encryption guide.  I have done numerous re-installs, and they all end the same way.  It is a fresh copy of Overlord installed, I haven't even got a chance to update it yet. I searched around, and can't find an answer to my problem.  From ramfs I have no problem unlocking and mount the root partition, so I am at a loss here.  Any help is greatly appreciated.

menu.lst:

title    Arch Linux USB (2.6.27-ARCH) [OCZ Diesel 4GB]
uuid    d03555ff-68d7-489f-854e-3007182a4eb0
kernel    /vmlinuz26 root=/dev/disk/by-uuid/1b4faf17-2869-4390-bd43-0afe8cb96825 vga=773 ro
initrd    /kernel26.img

mkinitcpio.conf

MODULES="pata_acpi pata_atiixp ata_generic scsi_mod ahci"
BINARIES=""
FILES=""
HOOKS="base udev autodetect usb pata scsi sata keymap encrypt filesystems"

Output:

:: Running Hook [usb]
:: Running Hook [keymap]
:: Loading keymap...done.
:: Running Hook [encrypt]
device-mapper: uevent: version 1.0.3
device-mapper: ioctl: 4.13-0-ioctl (2007-10-18) initialised: dm-devel@redhat.com
:: Running Hook [filesystems]
:: Loading root filesystem module...
Attempting to create root device '/dev/disk/by-uuid/1b4faf17-2869-4390-bd43-0afe8cb96825'
Waiting for devices to settle...scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access    USB    Driver        0.00 PQ:  0 ANSI: 0 CSS
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 7872456 512-byte hardware sectors (4008 MB)
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 7872456 512-byte hardware sectors (4008 MB)
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through
 sdb: sdb1 sdb2 sdb3
sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
done.
/bin/mknod "/dev/sdb3" b 8 19
mknod: File exists - /dev/sdb3
luks
:: Initramfs Completed - control passing to kinit
IP-Config: no devices to configure
kinit: Cannot open root device sdb3(8,19)
kinit: init not found!
Kernel panic - not syncing: Attempted to kill init!

loupy

Member

Registered: 2006-10-31

Posts: 77

Re: LUKS encrypted root problems

As far as I know the /boot partition cannot be encrypted.  Are you installing with everything encrypted?

Kassanova708

Member

From: Brooklyn Hieghts

Registered: 2008-10-19

Posts: 7

Re: LUKS encrypted root problems

Boot isn't encrypted.  Here is the partition setup:
768MB FAT32 for normal Windows use
32MB Ext3 Boot
3GB LUKS & XFS for Arch

loupy

Member

Registered: 2006-10-31

Posts: 77

Re: LUKS encrypted root problems

can you please post your menu.lst.

Kassanova708

Member

From: Brooklyn Hieghts

Registered: 2008-10-19

Posts: 7

Re: LUKS encrypted root problems

It is already in the first post.  I think enough information is up there (menu.lst, mkinitcpio.conf & dmesg output).

kludge

Member

Registered: 2008-08-03

Posts: 294

Re: LUKS encrypted root problems

yo, check it:

:: Running Hook [encrypt]

happens before

sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk

that just don't work.

more specifically, the [encrypt] hook attempts to de-crypt a device that doesn't exist yet.  this happens; happened to me all afternoon today, in fact.

one solution is here: http://bugs.archlinux.org/task/11571

my solution was to add:

# copied in from /lib/initcpio/hooks/filesystems
#
            if [ -n "${rootdelay}" ]; then
                msg -n "Waiting for devices to settle..."
                /bin/sleep "${rootdelay}"
                msg "done."
                export rootdelay=0
            fi

to the beginning of /lib/initcpio/hooks/encrypt (just after the first curly brace) and then to add

rootdelay=a_handful_of_seconds

to the kernel command-line in menu.list.

hope that fixes your problem.  nb: this is a work-around, not a fix.  please go to the bug report and join the party!

p.s: you could simplify matters by removing a lot of those hooks from your mkinitcpio.conf.

---

[23:00:16]    dr_kludge | i want to invent an olfactory human-computer interface, integrate it into the web standards, then produce my own forked browser.
[23:00:32]    dr_kludge | can you guess what i'd call it?
[23:01:16]    dr_kludge | nosilla.
[23:01:32]    dr_kludge | i really should be going to bed.  i'm giggling madly about that.