I'm managing a file server with two disks. The server is running Ubuntu 14.04, and it's already configured with software RAID1 (/dev/md0), and LVM on top of it.
Important data is stored in /var and /srv file systems, and I'm asked to encrypt them, but I'm not sure which way to follow.
Can I create new logical volumes, use dm-crypt to encrypt them, and then create a file system and move the data there?
Since encrypted volumes need to be auto mounted at boot, I should store encryption keys on a different device, like an USB stick, is it right?
What I care about:
- Right now I don't know how much
/varand/srvwill grow, so I want to be able to easily enlarge those file system when needed (that's why we are using LVM). - I need to protect data in
/varand/srvif the disks are replaced and put elsewhere. - I care more about reliability and security than performance.
What I don't care about:
- I don't need to protect the root file system, since it's a quite standard configuration.
- I don't need to protect the swap volume, I'm even considering the option to remove it, since it's never used (there's plenty of RAM available).
Here's a view of my current setup, for reference:
$ lsblk NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT sda 8:0 0 1,8T 0 disk └─sda1 8:1 0 1,8T 0 part └─md0 9:0 0 1,8T 0 raid1 ├─raidvg-varlv (dm-2) 252:2 0 15G 0 lvm /var ├─raidvg-srvlv (dm-3) 252:3 0 304G 0 lvm /srv ├─raidvg-systemlv (dm-4) 252:4 0 10,2G 0 lvm / └─raidvg-swaplv (dm-5) 252:5 0 3,7G 0 lvm [SWAP] sdb 8:16 0 1,8T 0 disk └─sdb1 8:17 0 1,8T 0 part └─md0 9:0 0 1,8T 0 raid1 ├─raidvg-varlv (dm-2) 252:2 0 15G 0 lvm /var ├─raidvg-srvlv (dm-3) 252:3 0 304G 0 lvm /srv ├─raidvg-systemlv (dm-4) 252:4 0 10,2G 0 lvm / └─raidvg-swaplv (dm-5) 252:5 0 3,7G 0 lvm [SWAP] 