Arch Linux

vIiRuS

Member

Registered: 2010-06-23

Posts: 18

Can't mount crypted partition at boot time

Hi.
I have quite a strange problem with my Luks Partition.
My /home is a crypted luks partition that is decrypted after I enter my passwort during the boot sequence. till then everything works.
But when Arch is supposed to mount the partition it tells me that it can't mount it because of "bad superblock, wrong fs type, ...". The strange thing is that I can log in as root and then just mount the partition without problems...

crypttab

home            /dev/sdb1               ASK

fstab

/dev/mapper/home /home ext3 0 1

The partition is a ext3 partition.... that can't be the problem.

Does anybody have an idea how I can fix this?

mfg vIiRuS

nexus7

Member

From: brain dump

Registered: 2006-12-06

Posts: 285

Re: Can't mount crypted partition at boot time

crypttab

home            /dev/sdb1               ASK

I prefer setting my password or a path to the file what contains my password instead of ASK.

---

we are Arch.
you will be assimilated!
resistance is futile!

boulde

Member

Registered: 2009-10-05

Posts: 41

Re: Can't mount crypted partition at boot time

I had to put options with the same config (luks encrypted home):

home         /dev/sda2         ASK                -c aes-cbc-essiv:sha256 -s 128

rwd

Member

Registered: 2009-02-08

Posts: 664

Re: Can't mount crypted partition at boot time

Just a guess .. maybe you need to put your encrypted home last in fstab? I think the order matters.

vIiRuS

Member

Registered: 2010-06-23

Posts: 18

Re: Can't mount crypted partition at boot time

I prefer setting my password or a path to the file what contains my password instead of ASK.

Well... a file with a password on an unencrypted root partition doesn't make that much sense and also isn't that secure. Also this can't be the problem as arch can decrypt the partition... the problem comes when it tries to mount the partition

@boulde: I'm not quite sure which setting I have to put there... how can I find that out?

@rwd: it already is last in the fstab...

nexus7

Member

From: brain dump

Registered: 2006-12-06

Posts: 285

Re: Can't mount crypted partition at boot time

I prefer setting my password or a path to the file what contains my password instead of ASK.

Well... a file with a password on an unencrypted root partition doesn't make that much sense and also isn't that secure. Also this can't be the problem as arch can decrypt the partition... the problem comes when it tries to mount the partition

Nope! It does indeed make sense if the path is beneath /dev/mapper/root (aka /) which you must of course unlock at booting time first (read this) Mounting is done automatically then.
But do as you like.
Ntl, your fstab is missing the fourth value <options>.Mine contains "defaults":

/dev/mapper/home /home reiserfs defaults 0 1

---

we are Arch.
you will be assimilated!
resistance is futile!

vIiRuS

Member

Registered: 2010-06-23

Posts: 18

Re: Can't mount crypted partition at boot time

I prefer setting my password or a path to the file what contains my password instead of ASK.

Well... a file with a password on an unencrypted root partition doesn't make that much sense and also isn't that secure. Also this can't be the problem as arch can decrypt the partition... the problem comes when it tries to mount the partition

Nope! It does indeed make sense if the path is beneath /dev/mapper/root (aka /) which you must of course unlock at booting time first (read this) Mounting is done automatically then.
But do as you like.

this works when / is crypted too... mine isn't.

Ntl, your fstab is missing the fourth value <options>.Mine contains "defaults":

/dev/mapper/home /home reiserfs defaults 0 1

OH MY GOD.... this was an epic fail.
Thank you a lot now it works perfectly!

rwd

Member

Registered: 2009-02-08

Posts: 664

Re: Can't mount crypted partition at boot time

Ntl, your fstab is missing the fourth value <options>.Mine contains "defaults":

/dev/mapper/home /home reiserfs defaults 0 1

OH MY GOD.... this was an epic fail.
Thank you a lot now it works perfectly!

Haha..I didn't see that one either. It does confirm my experience though that most problems can be solved  by looking at the most  obvious causes first.

Last edited by rwd (2010-06-29 17:42:25)