STD 0.1
security tools distribution
MD5: de03204ea5777d0e5fd6eb97b43034cb

Home
-
Download
-
Forum
-
FAQ
-
MD5
-
STD Tools
-
CDs, tshirts, etc
-
Docs
-
Donate
-
Change Log
-
Screenshots
-
Graphics
-
Links

“Anywhere I Hang My Hat is Home”
or
How to Make an Encrypted, Persistent Home Directory

Encrypted persistent home directories is nothing specific to Knoppix-STD and I'm once again indebted to Klaus Knopper for this. All Knoppix and Knoppix customizations have this option. Still I've gotten many requests for this so here you go.

Nearly all of your preferences in Linux are stored in your home directory. Since your home directory, /home/knoppix, is stored in the ramdrive it gets erased after every shutdown. Wouldn't it be nice to keep your bookmarks or configuration scripts or proxy settings from boot to boot? Well, you're in luck. You can save your home directory off to the harddrive or USB drive and restore it the next time you boot. Not only that but we can even encrypt it using AES 256bit encryption. You can even reuse the same home directory across multiple Knoppix customizations.

The Medium

The first thing you'll need is a read/write partition to keep your home directory on. A harddrive will do it as long as it's ext2, ext3, fat32..... you know, read/write. Since one of the benefits of STD is its portability why not have a portable persistent home directory too? I use a 256MB USB Pen Drive for this. They are getting cheaper and cheaper these days. The site I bought mine from is currently listing a 128MB stick for $37, 256MB for $59 [7/22/03].

http://www.pcwebshopper.com/usbpendrive.html

This is not an endorsement Please do your own research. As you shop keep in mind that Knoppix doesn't support USB 2.0 yet and you probably don't need more than 32-64MB if this is all you're going to use it for.

Setting it Up

Connect the harddrive or USB drive to the machine but don't mount it after you boot. Start creating your permanent home directory by going to K > Knoppix > Configure > Create a persistent KNOPPIX Home directory.

1) Select “Yes” when asked if you want to make a persistent home directory.
2) Select the partition you want to create your home directory. USB drives usually show up as /dev/sda1.
3) Unless you want to dedicate the entire partition to your home directory select “No” here. Even if you have a lot of space I wouldn't dedicate the whole thing.
4) Select the size of your home directory. The default 30MB will probably do you just fine. Use the rest of the drive for file storage and you'll have access to it even if you don't mount the home directory. If it's formatted fat32 and you can even share the files in a windows environment. The home directory will show up on the partition as knoppix.img and will be mounted at boot.
5) Now you can decide if you want to encrypt the knoppix.img file. This will encrypt it using AES with a 256 bit key. You will need to provide a passphrase of at least 20 characters in order to mount it an you will have to provide this passphrase every single boot where you want to use your home directory. You might want to choose an actual phrase like “Laugh hard, it's a long way to the bank. m.m.”
6) Provide the passphrase and let Knoppix do the rest.

Booting with Your Home Directory

To use your home directory you just specify it at boot with a cheatcode.

boot: knoppix home=/dev/sda1 or where ever your home directory is created. If you're not sure where your partition will be detected use:

boot: knoppix home=scan

The best thing about using a USB drive is that all you need is it and the CD. All your data goes on the USB and your OS is on the CD. Anywhere you can find a USB port and a CD drive you can call home.

Comments? Suggestions? fat [See Contact page linked from home]