Arch Linux

octane

Member

Registered: 2018-01-16

Posts: 1

Reinstall Arch on already encrypred SSD

Hi there!

I want to reinstall my Arch system on an already encrypted LVM on LUKS setup.
The new setup should then be LVM on LUKS again.

For some reason I would like to get rid of the current encryption and create an entirely new setup.So I was asking myself which steps might be useful before starting the reinstall.

So I thought about these steps:

1. Change current password to a strong 4096 bit key. Delete the old password.
2. Wipe LUKS header
3. To be sure, overwrite the drive with some random data, 1 or 2 times.

Am I forgetting something? Especially concerning some SSD specific steps?

Hoping to get some more input from you guys.
Thanks!

Slithery

Administrator

From: Norfolk, UK

Registered: 2013-12-01

Posts: 5,776

Re: Reinstall Arch on already encrypred SSD

Welcome to the forums octane

As it's an SSD the best method is to use the drives own internal erase command instead, it only takes seconds. None of the steps you mention above are guaranteed to remove all data.
https://ata.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/ATA_Secure_Erase

Last edited by Slithery (2018-01-16 20:17:34)

---

No, it didn't "fix" anything. It just shifted the brokeness one space to the right. - jasonwryan
Closing -- for deletion; Banning -- for muppetry. - jasonwryan

aur - dotfiles

R00KIE

Forum Fellow

From: Between a computer and a chair

Registered: 2008-09-14

Posts: 4,734

Re: Reinstall Arch on already encrypred SSD

I'd say backup, make sure the backup has everything and you can copy things back, then use 'blkdiscard /dev/sdX' where sdX is your ssd, partition the ssd and setup luks and lvm again, copy things back and adjust fstab and bootloader entries as needed.

It looks like a lot of work but it's probably easier than trying to change things in place.

---

R00KIE
Tm90aGluZyB0byBzZWUgaGVyZSwgbW92ZSBhbG9uZy4K