Take the 2-minute tour ×

I want to use dm-crypt on one of my Ubuntu servers, but I don't want to go there and type in the password every time I want to reboot.

What are my best options?

  • Virtualize the whole system so I can SSH into the host and start the dm-crypt device somehow?
  • Only encrypt data-partitions like /home?
share|improve this question
add comment

1 Answer

up vote 1 down vote accepted

I set up a system like that for a server a while ago. The key is to provide a minimal shell that allows you to unlock your system drive via SSH.

Back when I set it up, I followed a very complex guide which I wasn't able to dig up again. Instead, I found this (much shorter) version: Remote unlocking LUKS encrypted LVM using Dropbear SSH in Ubuntu

The principal should be the same.

share|improve this answer
Is there something i have to keep in mind when doing kernel-upgrades or such? How does it work with RAID/LVM? –  Fabian Zeindl Apr 3 '12 at 11:39
I only use that mechanism to unlock my system drive. The actual storage (which uses md for RAID) is unlocked separately. So I can't really say how this would all work with a single unlock at boot time. –  Oliver Salzburg Apr 3 '12 at 12:00
add comment

Your Answer


