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README.md: improve documentation of GRUB limitation (#136)
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Resolves #58
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ebiggers authored and josephlr committed Jul 27, 2019
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18 changes: 8 additions & 10 deletions README.md
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Expand Up @@ -581,8 +581,14 @@ following should be true:
block size (run `tune2fs -l /dev/device | grep 'Block size'`) are the same.
- You are ok with not being able to mount this filesystem with a v4.0
kernel or older.
- You are __NOT__ using GRUB to boot directly off this filesystem. If
you have a sperate `/boot` partition, you are fine.
- Either you are __NOT__ using GRUB to boot directly off this filesystem, or
you are using GRUB 2.04 or later. This is necessary because old versions of
GRUB can't boot from ext4 filesystems that have the encryption feature
enabled, even if none of the boot files are encrypted themselves. If, like
most people, you have a separate `/boot` partition, you are fine. You are
also fine if you are using the GRUB Debian package `2.02-2` or later (*not*
a `2.02_beta*` version), including the version in Ubuntu 18.04 and later,
since the patch to support encryption was backported.

If any of the above is not true, __DO NOT ENABLE FILESYSTEM ENCRYPTION__.

Expand All @@ -597,14 +603,6 @@ debugfs -w -R "feature -encrypt" /dev/device
fsck -fn /dev/device
```

Note: It is actually possible to get GRUB to boot an encrypted ext4 filesystem.
However, it requires GRUB 2.02 (__NOT__ the 2.02 beta) to be installed as the
bootloader. As this version was released in April 2017, most systems __WILL
FAIL TO BOOT__ with an ext4 encrypted boot directory. Note that this is only
relevant to systems without a separate boot partition. Sytems with `/boot` on
a different partition than the one being encrypted (including all UEFI systems)
are not effected by this.

## Legal

Copyright 2017 Google Inc. under the
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