Arch Linux

Dave_G

Member

Registered: 2021-09-02

Posts: 19

[SOLVED] Encrypted disk does not prompt for passphrase on boot

I'm configuring a new Arch Linux installation with an encrypted root partition on a Dell Latitude 5521 laptop. I've followed the steps in the wiki (Installation Guide, dm-crypt, and systemd-boot), but I must be missing something because this computer will not boot. It starts to boot, but does not prompt for the passphrase and will not load the disk. Here's the boot sequence:

Welcome to Linux!

[  OK  ] Created slice Slice /system/systemd-cryptsetup.
[  OK  ] Started Dispatch Password Requests to Console Directory Match.
[  OK  ] Reached target Local File Systems.
[  OK  ] Reached target Path Units.
[  OK  ] Reached target Slice Units.
[  OK  ] Reached target Swaps.
[  OK  ] Reached target Timer Units.
[  OK  ] Listening on Journal Audit Socket.
[  OK  ] Listening on Journal Socket (/dev/log).
[  OK  ] Listening on Journal Socket.
[  OK  ] Listening on udev Control Socket.
[  OK  ] Listening on udev Kernel Socket.
[  OK  ] Reached target Socket Units.
         Starting Create List of Static Device Nodes...
         Starting Journal Service...
         Starting Load Kernel Modules...
         Starting Coldplug All udev Devices...
[  OK  ] Finished Create List of Static Device Nodes.
         Starting Create Static Device Nodes in /dev...
[  OK  ] Finished Load Kernel Modules.
[  OK  ] Finished Create Static Device Nodes in /dev.
         Starting Rule-based Manager for Device Eventss and Files...
[  OK  ] Started Rule-based Manager for Device Eventss and Files.
[  OK  ] Started Journal Service.
[  OK  ] Finished Coldplug All udev Devices.
[ TIME ] Timed out waiting for device /dev/disk/by-uuid/5f7bde2b-c6f7-4f55-b619-e5b1ffe7eae3.
.
.
.
[  OK  ] Started Emergency Shell.
[  OK  ] Reached target Emergency Mode.

Here are the hooks in /etc/mkinitcpio.conf:

HOOKS=(base systemd autodetect keyboard sd-vconsole modconf block sd-encrypt filesystems fsck)

And this is my /boot/loader/entries/arch.conf file:

title Arch Linux
linux /vmlinuz-linux
initrd /initramfs-linux.img
options rd.luks.name=5f7bde2b-c6f7-4f55-b619-e5b1ffe7eae3=cryptroot root=/dev/mapper/cryptroot rw

blkid shows:

/dev/nvme0n1p3: UUID="5f7bde2b-c6f7-4f55-b619-e5b1ffe7eae3" TYPE="crypto_LUKS" PARTUUID="be66464c-9bcf-1d49-826a-0d9357ef4c50"
/dev/nvme0n1p1: UUID="C3B5-02ED" BLOCK_SIZE="512" TYPE="vfat" PARTUUID="c564454e-b48e-d54d-ac3e-374eeb5db51e"
/dev/nvme0n1p2: UUID="71acc881-ff8d-4765-9bc3-bbed6a2545ff" TYPE="swap" PARTUUID="332c82a7-96ad-bb46-8fcb-266f506f7e59"
/dev/mapper/cryptroot: UUID="a214e59b-2c61-4c97-b5e8-5dd5c95ccd59" BLOCK_SIZE="512" TYPE="xfs"

I think I'm using the correct UUID (/dev/nvme0n1p3 is the encrypted root partition), but just to be sure I tried the UUID for /dev/mapper/cryptroot, and got the same result.

I know the encryption is working correctly, because I can boot off a USB drive and decrypt the partition with cryptsetup open /dev/nvme0n1p3 cryptroot, enter the passphrase, and mount the disk.

I don't have plymouth installed.

What am I missing?

Thanks!

Last edited by Dave_G (2021-09-03 00:15:01)

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 18,859

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypted disk does not prompt for passphrase on boot

From the emergency shell,  is the is the root device detected? `ls /dev/nvme*`

Dave_G

Member

Registered: 2021-09-02

Posts: 19

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypted disk does not prompt for passphrase on boot

It turns out I can't actually reach the emergency shell:

.
.
.
[  OK  ] Started Emergency Shell.
[  OK  ] Reached target Emergency Mode.
You are in emergency mode. After logging in, type "journalctl -xb" to view
system logs, "systemctl reboot" to reboot, "systemctl default" or "exit"
to boot into default mode.

Cannot open access to console, the root account is locked.
See sulogin(8) man page for more details.

Press Enter to continue.

Pressing Enter just restarts the messages ad infinitum. I never reach a prompt.

Why would the root account be locked?

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 18,859

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypted disk does not prompt for passphrase on boot

Why would the root account be locked?

See https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=268809

Although if the system has an Intel CPU I would guess the issue is https://bugs.archlinux.org/task/68704 and trying the fix from that may be quicker.

Dave_G

Member

Registered: 2021-09-02

Posts: 19

Re: [SOLVED] Encrypted disk does not prompt for passphrase on boot

Woohoo! Brilliant! That was exactly the issue. Thank you for pointing me there. I may never have found that on my own. The system does have an Intel CPU. Putting MODULES=(vmd) into /etc/mkinitcpio.conf, and rerunning mkinitcpio -P fixed the problem, and I now have a laptop that boots. Thanks again.