Re: [dm-crypt] Data recovery recomendations needed

[David Christensen <dpchrist@holgerdanske.com>]

On 04/20/2015 09:38 PM, David Backer wrote:
> [backups are] 3 months old ...

So, all of your data on one HDD, a backup strategy of one HDD, and no 
backups taken for the past three months?  Ouch.  The guy in the mirror 
got you good (been there, done that).


You and others have already identified what is likely the only remaining 
technical solution -- pay a vendor with a the right knowledge, 
materials, tools, equipment, and skills to do whatever it takes to copy 
out the raw sectors and give them to you.  Your HDD manufacturer will be 
the best qualified to do this.  Then reassemble what's left of LUKS, 
LVM, ext4, etc. and hope you're lucky.  If you've got the time and 
money, go for it  If not, accept the decision you made three months ago.


Alternatively and/or in parallel, try to get your hands on other copies 
of the files that you've created over the past three months.  You 
probably delivered important files to other people; they may still have 
copies.  IMAP servers may still have copies.  Desktop Trash bins may 
still have copies.


In any case, once you've put your desktop (e.g. backup server) back 
together again, get two more backup drives, make copies of your backup, 
get a BluRay burner, burn the backup to optical.  Put one backup copy 
drive and the optical archive set off-site.  Going forward, implement 
daily backups, implement periodic backup copying, implement period 
archiving to optical, and implement off-site rotation and storage.


David