Re: [dm-crypt] LVM on LUKS: volumes missing

[Robert Nichols <rnicholsNOSPAM@comcast.net>]

On 06/03/2016 04:42 PM, Arno Wagner wrote:
> One thing is that these problems are pretty hard to debug.
> Another is that LVM massively complicates things.
>
> Now, if the LUKS container opens cleanly, anything
> in it should be decrypted correctly (if it is LVM
> atop of LUKS) and decryption with the wrong key is
> not actually a possibility.
>
> That also means you should be able to use LVM
> recovery techniques (I assume they exist) on this.
>
> Unfortunately, I cannot help you with LVM as I do not use
> it. I consider it a badly engineered, overly complicated
> thing that decreases reliablity and makes problem
> diagnostics very hard.

If the ASCII strings "LABELONE" and "LVM2" cannot be seen in the first 
few sectors of the volume, then that volume is either overwritten or not 
being decrypted correctly.  LVM keeps quite a bit of easily recognized 
ASCII data in the volume header.

In this case the fragile link seems to be the LUKS detached header, as I 
believe there is nothing to associate that header with a device and 
precise starting point for the payload. Yes, there is a check that the 
master key was reconstructed correctly. Now the question is what, if 
anything, does this key decrypt.

-- 
Bob Nichols     "NOSPAM" is really part of my email address.
                 Do NOT delete it.