Configurations to format the Western Digital My Book Duo external drives for GNU/Linux with LUKS encryption

wd_my_book_duo_luks_lvm_ext4_gnu_linux.md

Configuration

1. Install WD Drive Utilities (available only on Windows and Mac).

2. Under RAID Management in WD Drive Utilities, choose Individual Drives (JBOD) and format the 2 drives.

3. Then boot on a GNU/Linux machine and run the following commands:

   • Remove existing partitions and make sure that you are using GPT:

     sudo parted /dev/sda
     (parted) print
     (parted) rm 1 (and other partitions if several)                                                           
     (parted) mklabel gpt 
     (parted) quit
     
     sudo parted /dev/sdb
     (parted) print
     (parted) rm 1 (and other partitions if several)                                                           
     (parted) mklabel gpt                                                      
     (parted) quit
     

   • Create the LUKS partitions:

     sudo cryptsetup luksFormat --type luks2 /dev/sda 
     sudo cryptsetup luksFormat --type luks2 /dev/sdb
     

   • Open the encrypted devices and create a mapping:

     sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sda backup1
     sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdb backup2
     

   • Consider writing zeros to each mapped device, this may take several hours to complete (see https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Dm-crypt/Drive_preparation):

     dd bs=1M if=/dev/zero of=/dev/mapper/backup1 status=progress
     dd bs=1M if=/dev/zero of=/dev/mapper/backup2 status=progress
     

   • Use the mapped devices as physical volumes:

     sudo lvm pvcreate /dev/mapper/backup1
     sudo lvm pvcreate /dev/mapper/backup2
     

   • Create a volume group to contain the physical volumes:

     sudo lvm vgcreate external-backup /dev/mapper/backup1 
     sudo lvm vgextend external-backup /dev/mapper/backup2
     

   • Create the logical volume (here we create one that occupies all the space):

     sudo lvm lvcreate -n lv_external_backup -l +100%FREE external-backup
     

   • You can check that the previous operations succeeded with:

     sudo lvm pvdisplay
     sudo fdisk -l
     

   • Create a filesystem on the logical volume:

     sudo mkfs.ext4 -v /dev/mapper/external--backup-lv_external_backup
     

   • Mount the logical volume:

     sudo mkdir -p /mnt/external-backup
     sudo mount /dev/mapper/external--backup-lv_external_backup /mnt/external-backup 
     

   • Perform your backup operation or other read/write operations on the mounted volume

   • Unmount and secure data:

     sudo umount /mnt/external-backup
     sudo lvm vgchange -a n external-backup
     sudo cryptsetup luksClose backup1        
     sudo cryptsetup luksClose backup2
     

Mount and unmount after configuration

• Open the encrypted devices and mount the logical volume:

  sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sda backup1
  sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdb backup2
  sudo mkdir -p /mnt/external-backup
  sudo mount /dev/mapper/external--backup-lv_external_backup /mnt/external-backup
  

• Perform your backup operation or other read/write operations on the mounted volume

• Unmount and secure data:

  sudo umount /mnt/external-backup
  sudo lvm vgchange -a n external-backup
  sudo cryptsetup luksClose backup1        
  sudo cryptsetup luksClose backup2