Ubuntu 11.04 on encrypted btrfs fails to boot

6 Answers

1. 
   

   
   

   Goldfanger on Jul 19, 2011

   If your trouble is that your initramfs fails (as finid mentioned above), try this:

   Press “e” when you have the option of loading memtest, 11.04, or the 11.04 failsafe.
   between “ro” & “quiet” add: “rootflags=subvol=@” without the quotes.
   Press F10 to save.

   That should boot ONCE; to avoid adding that “rootflags” thing every time, do:
   sudo nano -c /etc/grub.d/10_linux
   Replace line 59 (if [ "x`${grub_probe} --device ${GRUB_DEVICE} --target=fs 2>/dev/null || true`" = xbtrfs ]; then) with these two lines::
   #if [ "x`${grub_probe} --device ${GRUB_DEVICE} --target=fs 2>/dev/null || true`" = xbtrfs ]; then
   if [ "x`stat -f --printf=%T /`" = xbtrfs ]; then
   Save and close by pressing Ctrl-x then pressing y and then Enter.
   Then do:

   sudo grub-mkconfig | grep “root” then ctrl+shift+F to search that “flags=” is there.
   Sudo umount /boot
   sudo mount -rw /boot
   sudo cp /boot/grub/grub.cfg /boot/grub/grub.cfg.backup
   sudo update-grub2

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2. 
   

   
   

   finid on May 25, 2011

   I just installed Fedora 15 on an encrypted btrfs file system. About to publish the guide. Ubuntu 11.04 so far is the only one that has failed to boot.

   +1 Votes 1 Votes  0 Votes

3. 
   

   
   

   finid on May 22, 2011

   Just installed a Release Candidate of Mageia on encryptrd btrfs, and it worked. So I think this same system not working on Ubuntu is specific to Ubuntu.

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4. 
   

   
   

   finid on May 20, 2011

   My installations have been completed, but the system drops to a BusyBox (initramfs) shell after inputing the encryption passphrase. Internally I know that btrfs does not support encryption, but I thought it would be possible to encrypt a btrfs root just like you do with LVM.

   Until I can verify this with other distros with support for encryption and btrfs, I’ll just say that this is specific to Ubuntu.

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5. 
   

   
   

   dianaZ on May 20, 2011

   Every attempt I’ve made to install 11.04 on encrypted btrfs has failed to boot, so I do not think that it possible. And I’m not sure this is just a Ubuntu problem or if it is not possible to encrypted btrfs.

   0 Votes 0 Votes  0 Votes

   • 
     

     
     

     finid on May 24, 2011

     I have successfully installed a release candidate of Mageia on an encrypted btrfs file system, so it is possible, not just on Ubuntu – yet.

     Btw, if you want to configure plain-vanilla btrfs on Ubuntu 11.04, read this tutorial.

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