[Bug 1066480] Re: Installer doesn't show encrypted partitions

[Neitsab]

Any update on this  <i><b>critical</b></i> bug, since the release of
Saucy didn't see a change to its status?

This bug is closely related to <a
href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/partman-
crypto/+bug/420080">Bug 420080</a>, which itself tried to address and
issue already reported in... <i><a
href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/partman-
crypto/+bug/155987">2007!!</a></i> Linked Debian bug is <a
href="http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-
bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=451535"#451535</a>. @cjwatson had proposed a patch
for this long standing issue of detecting and opening existing encrypted
partitions so as to reuse them, but it diesnt't seem implemented in
Debian 7 Wheezy, while the bug status has been set to "Wishlist" (??!).

The summary of the situation is :
- Ubiquity doesn't offer to unlock encrypted partitions, and instead say they are empty, hence offering to format them.
It is exactly the same case in Debian, where it is even worse because the default install medium is a net-install image, which doesn't provide the opportuinity to open a live session and thus applying the recommended workaround (access and unlock concerned partitions through GUI file manager/disk utility before launching the installer); in Debian, one has to change TTY and follow a cryptic procedure based upon anna-installing/modprobe-ing stuff... And then still has to chroot and create a crypttab before rebooting.

- What is causing this behaviour (which is apparently a regression)? Is
it that ubiquity doesn't read the LUKS headers of said partitions, and
hence doesn't recognise them as encrypted and offer to open them ? In
that case is it possible to (re-)implement the detection and choice for
opening (cryptsetup author says it's really easy to recognize LUKS
container), while having a conditional jump saying "if partitions are
encrypted don't offer to resize" so as not to mess with partman
inability to resize lvm and dm-crypt devices ? <a
href="https://code.google.com/p/cryptsetup/wiki/FrequentlyAskedQuestions#1._General_Questions">cryptsetup
FAQ</a> is quite vocal about Ubuntu's installer being a "LUKS killer"...

 - I understand the reasoning behind <a
href="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubiquity/+bug/1046779/comments/2">xnox'
comment</a>, but consider the following use case:

        - Users take care of partitioning and encrypting+lvming the device before installation, or more simply wish to re-use pre-existing partition scheme (clean upgrade etc.); 
        - They then want to install Ubuntu within the predesigned layout;  
        - They fall short doing so because the installer EVEN IN MANUAL MODE the installer doesn't recognise the encrypted volumes ; 
        - They feel weird or rightly outraged because it's perfectly do-able from a live session, by opening partitions first through a GUI utility and then launching the installer (i.e. release notes' workaround);
        - As underlined in the original bug report, the current behavior has as much chance to cause data loss as the possibility to resize such encrypted/lvmed partitions (happened to me with d-i for Debian Wheezy) 

On a side note, I must say that I find it at least urprising, if not
directly worrying that a bug marked as "critical" found its way past
Saucy's release, while it's been in such a critical state for so long.
People who would like to maintain full disk encryption or other
encrypted setup (as a consequence to recent revelations about massive
surveillance or other related scandals, for example) aren't really well
served with Ubuntu (or any Debian-based disro, as I get it)...

What about fixing this for Trusty/14.04, for this LTS not to be crippled
by such a privacy/usability breach?

** Bug watch added: Debian Bug tracker #451535
   http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=451535

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1066480

Title:
  Installer doesn't show encrypted partitions

Status in Ubiquity:
  New
Status in Release Notes for Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in Release Notes for Ubuntu quantal series:
  Confirmed
Status in “ubiquity” package in Ubuntu:
  Confirmed
Status in “ubiquity” source package in Quantal:
  Won't Fix
Status in “ubiquity” source package in Raring:
  Won't Fix
Status in “ubiquity” source package in Saucy:
  Triaged

Bug description:
  Hallo
  Testing 20121014 amd64 desktop in virtual env.
  in the disk was already present an encrypted Ubuntu installation, and when I try to install a second Ubuntu it don't consider the encrypted partitions, suggesting to erase all the disk instead to instal along side.
  But I want a free system for my son and an ecrypted one for my work on the same disk.
  Attached screenshot
  Thanks
  Fabio

  We can also see that the partition is regularry mounted and showed in
  launcher.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.10
  Package: ubiquity 2.12.11 [modified: lib/partman/automatically_partition/question]
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.5.0-17.28-generic 3.5.5
  Uname: Linux 3.5.0-17-generic x86_64
  ApportVersion: 2.6.1-0ubuntu3
  Architecture: amd64
  CasperVersion: 1.328
  Date: Sun Oct 14 10:55:01 2012
  InstallCmdLine: file=/cdrom/preseed/ubuntu.seed boot=casper initrd=/casper/initrd.lz quiet splash -- maybe-ubiquity
  LiveMediaBuild: Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal" - Release amd64 (20121014)
  ProcEnviron:
   TERM=xterm
   PATH=(custom, no user)
   XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
   LANG=en_US.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: ubiquity
  UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

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