Bug 26320

Created attachment 11545 [details]
Example

Example
Step 1 : Select Custom disk partitioning
Step 2 : Click the box "Encrypt /home"
Step 3 : Enter Password
Step 4 : Auto allocate

No time now to check this out, but a couple of things strike me.
1)
> The only way to encrypt [the /home partition] is to (for example) delete
> the automatic created/calculated /home partition, create a new /home
> partition manually and tick the checkbox "encrypted".
For someone who wants to do this, this does not seem arduous.
What would happen in an 'automated' partition choice where /home is included under '/' rather than separately?

2)
I was unclear about "automatic partitioning" (where I think you propose the additional encrypted option) v "Select Custom disk partitioning" where the user decides everything.

I will look at this tomorrow with an installer to clarify what is being asked.

> Encrypting the /home is especially for SSDs recommended, because they have
> an completely different file/datamanagement and maybe dont delete every
> data if you format/overwrite existing data.
This is also true for hard discs.

CC: (none) => lewyssmith

Yea. Its a bit wired.
Personaly i make everytime a clean install of the system and no upgrades (from MGA1 to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 to 6 to 7) and select "Custom disk partitioning" -> Auto allocate (what i mean as automatic partitioning"), delete after that the allocated /home and create a new /home with encryption.

It would be (for me) easier to select "encrypt /home" before allocate the partitions and than click on allocate to have directly an allocated encrypted /home.
Also maybe this feature in the first step/window where you can choose between "use free space" or "custom disk partitioning" could be useful. Where you select "use free space with /home encrypted"

But yea, i see your point where / is also the /home partition on drives with less space or if the user want this way.

it's just an idea what could be changed maybe.

OK, I have played as far as I dare without messing up my disc, and see more precisely what you are asking & where.

I noticed that any partition manually *created* offers encryption .
You are referring specifically to "Custom disc partitioning", and the bottom *Auto allocate* button of that - overall, just one of many possible partitioning paths. Clicking that alone showed nothing; I did not click the 'Done' button to see what would happen, but imagine that the last part of your useful screenshot shows the result: 3 partitions, / Swap /home .

Not having spare hardware to explore further, it would be interesting to know what options you get when you click on the proposed /home partition on this auto-allocated screen; for *this* seems to be the place to ask for encryption. (It cannot be offered for the auto-allocated / partition since the included /boot cannot be encrypted).

Can you attach screenshot(s) showing all the options available when you click on the *auto-allocated /home partition*, to see whether that would be a sensible place to ask for its encryption?

Summary: Request: Allow easier /home encryption while installing => Request: Allow easier encryption of auto-allocated /home partition while installing

Automatic allocating plus encrypting /home seem to ask for trouble as it is hard to change size if you i.e need more / space.  Also encrypting only /home is not enough to keep all secrets, as long as you have swap and /tmp unencrypted, and some interesting settings and logs are found in /etc and /root /var/log...

Better is to create small /EFI and /boot, then one large encrypted pv for LVM, and inside that swap, /, /home.  Leave unused space, and it is easy to extend partitions inside the LVM using diskdrake, while running!  From command line you can even do snapshots.

I always use LVM even when no encryption is needed, ju just dont tick that box.

So IF there shopuld be an encryption check box for automatic partitionin i would strongly suggest it use LVM, and vreate /, /home /swap within, and maybe leave 30% inside LVM unused, for user to extend into when whatever partition need that.

CC: (none) => fri

Thanks for your comment Morgan. It gets away from the 'automatic allocation' aspect that psyca is talking about - keep it simple. The moment you go beyond that, it is clearly up to you. I was just hoping to see whether there is an *easy* place where the option he requests could be slipped in. Perhaps nowhere.

I have to retire from this now, so CC'ing Martin who is wise about all this. This can be easily closed 'wontfix', I hope with no hard feelings.

CC: lewyssmith => mageia

Created attachment 11547 [details]
installer

I was thinking like an encryption setup similar to OpenSUSE (top) or Ubuntu (bottom)...

But ok...

Status: NEW => RESOLVED
Resolution: (none) => WONTFIX

This is a valid feature enhancement, but it still needs someone doing the coding....

CC: (none) => tmb

note that we now have systemd 245 which has the new *-homed that is another approach to this encryption...