Alternate and Server CD installer fails to create encrypted swap parition

[Carlos]

I'm running Ubuntu 8.10 and I used the Alternate Install CD for my installation on a dell e1505 laptop. I also used the server install CD for installation onto an old PC. In both cases, I chose manual partitioning and chose to create a swap partition as a physical partition. I chose to have that partition be an encrypted volume, using a random key. In both cases, the installation seemed to work without any errors. However, when looking at the amount of memory I had available after the system was running, I noticed that there was no swap being reported. I checked /etc/crypttab and it had this entry:

sda3_crypt /dev/disk/by-uuid/ /dev/urandom cipher=aes-cbc-essiv:sha256,size=256,swap

As you can see, there isn't actually a uuid listed after the /dev/disk/by-uuid field. I replaced that field with /dev/sda3 in /etc/crypttab and that seems to work.

I haven't tried the desktop installer, but this at least happens with both the alternate and server install cds.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

Could you please attach /var/log/installer/syslog and /var/log/installer/partman, so that I can see what the installer thought it was doing?

[Carlos (bitbuck3t)]

Sorry for the delay, I didn't have access to my machine while I was at work. I have attached the two files you requested. I masked my ip addresses and hostname form syslog, but other than that, everything is exactly how it was.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

Yow! It's trying to get the UUID from the encrypted block device, rather than from the unencrypted device exposed by device-mapper. That isn't going to work!

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

LUKS (the passphrase key type) works, because LUKS has a header containing a UUID. Other key types appear not to work.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

And indeed it did actually want the UUID of the encrypted block device, if available. Therefore, the fix is simply to use it only if it's available.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package partman-crypto - 36ubuntu3

---------------
partman-crypto (36ubuntu3) jaunty; urgency=low

  * Use UUIDs only if available, fixing key types other than passphrase
    since only LUKS actually has a UUID (LP: #321732).

 -- Colin Watson <email address hidden> Wed, 28 Jan 2009 01:38:06 +0000