How to use bitlocker with drivepool

[gambit19]

Good afternoon,

 

I have bitlocker on my laptops and was thinking of activating it on my server however since it has drivepool i am not really sure what steps to perford first to activate it, for example if i need to change setttings first it drivepool or start with the encryption itself.

 

My current operating system is windows server 2012 r2 essentials.

 

Any help would be appreciated

[Christopher (Drashna)]

Not a problem!

 

And yes, we definitely support BitLocker. However there is a config file change you need to make to enable proper support for it.

 

http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_2.x_Advanced_Settings

And you need to set "BitLocker_PoolPartUnlockDetect" to "True"

 

However, just note, that the disks will have to be unlocked before the pool is accessible.

If this is an issue, then you'll need to encrypt the system disk as well. Once you've done that, you can tell the system to automatically unlock the data drives after it boots. 

And obviously, we recommend encrypting the system disk for that reason.

 

However, to encrypt the system disk, you'll want to have a TPM module installed on your motherboard. Depending on the board, it may or may not support the module. If it does, you can find them online for very cheap (usually less than $20). Otherwise, you may need to do this:

http://www.groovypost.com/howto/enable-windows-8-full-disk-bitlocker-encryption-without-tpm/

[gambit19]

no, unfortunetely my server does not have a tmp, its just an old ex485 however is there any particular order i need to this? for example do i need to set that setting before or after i do activate bitlocker? im just afraid of losing data

[Christopher (Drashna)]

I'd recommend encrypting the system disk first. Just to make sure that works. Once that's done, encrypt the data drives. I believe there should be an "unlock automatically" option. Check that, and then you'll be good to go.

 

And as for losing data, I definitely understand. Worst case here, make sure you have a backup of the important data.

Also, make sure you have the recovery keys stored in a safe place. Print them out, and tab it to the inside of the top lid, if necessary (the top of the case slides off actually, so you could put the recovery key there)