How do you make a backup image of a fully luks encrypted drive?
my wife uses Kubuntu 21.10 (no dual boot) and I use a Kubuntu-21.10/Windows-10 dual boot. Both of our Kubuntu installs where done with LUKS and the drives fully encrypted (my dual boot uses two ssd drives). We've always made back up images of our systems in case something goes wrong, so that we can restore our computers back to that point.
I can find LOTS of info on how to install Ubuntu using LUKS and full disk encryption, but I can't find much info on how to make an image of a drive that has LUKS with full disk encryption (let alone in a dual boot situation). So, I figured I'd come here to the pros I know and see if maybe I could get my 'how in the world do I do this question' answered - lol...
With Windows and non-encrypted Linux I've always used Macrium Reflect Free. But, with Linux/Kubuntu/Ubunutu I'm kind of stumped with just how to make proper/successful backup images of LUKS fully encrypted drives that can later be used to either restore the same drive or perhaps be used to transfer an image to a new drive...
Any help, tips, programs, read me's, etc are all welcome and would be much appreciated...
Thanks ahead of time...
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So, I've been trying to figure out ways to back our systems up so we don't have to do complete re-installs if something goes wrong.
Thoughts One. While booted into the system that is using the fully LUKS encrypted kubuntu, could I use Gsync to do a backup to an encrypted drive, then, if something goes wrong, do a new basic install of a fully LUKS encrypted kubuntu (over the drive/kubuntu with the issues), then boot into the new install and restore the files via Gsync? Or, will the encryption and/or boot not work or something doing it this way?
Thoughts Two. Use gnome DISKS from a live USB to make an image of the drive with the fully LUKS encrypted Kubuntu on it, then if something goes wrong boot back up on a live USB and restore the image to the drive. Or will this not allow the encryption and/or boot to work?
END UPDATE 1.........................................................
61 Answer
I use Veeam Agent for Linux free, to make images on a external USB drive, while running the system. No need to shutdown the system and you can make incremental backups. I have a Ubuntu system with a customized luks container with a lvm, where are /, home and swap.luks partitionImportant: you have to notice the uuid of your origin luks partition, because while restore, you have to create a luks partition manually, so a new uuid is automatic created and you must, before the first boot after restore, rename the new luks partition with the old uuid you noticed before (see the next step).
For restore over the veeam recovery system, i can take over the uncrypted boot partition, then create manual a new luks partition (it must be a little bit bigger then the old one) and finally take over the dev-mapper. When the restore is complete i boot from a ubuntu live stick and rename the luks partition uuid: sudo cryptsetup luksUUID /dev/sdaX --uuid NEW_UUID
then repair the boot partition, i make this with the programm Boot-Repair: sudo add-apt-repository ppa:yannubuntu/boot-repair
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y boot-repair
if is while booting still a problem (waiting for a uuid) run sudo update-initramfs -u -k all
