Public bug reported: "plymouth ask-for-password" is unable to read keyboard input when the console is the Xen PV console device (hvc0).
Since the "cryptroot" script that the "cryptsetup" package installs on initramfs's uses "plymouth ask-for-password" instead of /lib/cryptsetup/askpass if plymouth is available, this causes the boot process to hang at the password prompt when trying to boot with an encrypted root device that needs the operator to type the password on the console. As a very hacky workaround, modifying /usr/share/initramfs-tools/scripts /local-top/cryptroot to always use /lib/cryptsetup/askpass if $cryptkeyscript is not set (see attached patch) and then regenerating the initramfs with "update-initramfs -u" works as expected. Specifying /lib/cryptsetup/askpass as the "keyscript=" using the kernel command line ("cryptopts=") and/or /etc/crypttab didn't work for whatever reason, but I didn't spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out why. Some relevant system information: Ubuntu 14.04 (Trusty) on an amd64 Xen domU The system was debootstrap'd under Finnix on a VM supplied by Linode.com. cryptsetup 2:1.6.1-1ubuntu1 amd64 linux-image-3.13.0-33-generic 3.13.0-33.58 amd64 linux-image-virtual 3.13.0.33.39 amd64 linux-virtual 3.13.0.33.39 amd64 plymouth 0.8.8-0ubuntu17 amd64 kernel command line: root=/dev/mapper/crypt-root console=hvc0 ro contents of /etc/crypttab: # <target name> <source device> <key file> <options> crypt-swap /dev/xvdb /dev/urandom swap,cipher=aes-xts-plain64,size=256,hash=sha512 crypt-root /dev/xvdc none rootdev,luks contents of /etc/fstab: # <source device> <mount point> <fs type> <mount options> /dev/xvda /boot ext4 defaults /dev/mapper/crypt-swap none swap defaults /dev/mapper/crypt-root / ext4 errors=remount-ro none /proc proc defaults ** Affects: plymouth (Ubuntu) Importance: Undecided Status: New ** Patch added: "the very hacky workaround; not suitable for general use" https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1355617/+attachment/4175134/+files/cryptroot-hacky-workaround.patch -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1355617 Title: "plymouth ask-for-password" unable to read keyboard input on Xen PV console (hvc0) To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/plymouth/+bug/1355617/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs