1) During boot, the LUKS partition (/home) is correctly unlocked and the system boots normally. This is the intended behavior. Snippet from the journal: ====================================================================== Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: scsi 8:0:0:0: Direct-Access ██████ ██████ ███ PMAP PQ: 0 ANSI: 4 Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] ██████ 512-byte logical blocks: (15.6 GB/14.5 GiB) Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00 Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sdb: sdb1 sdb2 Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 8:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: scsi 9:0:0:0: Direct-Access Generic USB SD Reader 1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: scsi 9:0:0:1: Direct-Access Generic USB CF Reader 1.01 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: scsi 9:0:0:2: Direct-Access Generic USB xD/SM Reader 1.02 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: scsi 9:0:0:3: Direct-Access Generic USB MS Reader 1.03 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 9:0:0:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI removable disk Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 9:0:0:1: [sdd] Attached SCSI removable disk Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 9:0:0:2: [sde] Attached SCSI removable disk Feb 05 14:17:51 ██████ kernel: sd 9:0:0:3: [sdf] Attached SCSI removable disk ... Feb 05 14:17:55 ██████ systemd[1]: Starting Cryptography Setup for home... Feb 05 14:17:55 ██████ systemd-fsck[356]: /dev/sda5: clean, █/█ files, █/█ blocks Feb 05 14:17:55 ██████ systemd[1]: Started File System Check on /dev/sda5. Feb 05 14:17:55 ██████ systemd[1]: Mounting /boot... Feb 05 14:17:55 ██████ kernel: device-mapper: uevent: version 1.0.3 Feb 05 14:17:55 ██████ kernel: device-mapper: ioctl: 4.26.0-ioctl (2013-08-15) initialised: dm-devel@redhat.com Feb 05 14:17:56 ██████ systemd-cryptsetup[360]: Set cipher aes, mode xts-plain64, key size 512 bits for device /dev/sda9. Feb 05 14:17:56 ██████ systemd[1]: Mounted /boot. Feb 05 14:17:56 ██████ kernel: EXT4-fs (sda5): mounted filesystem with ordered data mode. Opts: data=ordered Feb 05 14:17:57 ██████ kernel: bio: create slab at 1 Feb 05 14:17:57 ██████ kernel: bio: create slab at 1 Feb 05 14:17:58 ██████ kernel: bio: create slab at 1 Feb 05 14:17:58 ██████ systemd[1]: Found device /dev/mapper/home. Feb 05 14:17:58 ██████ systemd[1]: Starting File System Check on /dev/mapper/home... Feb 05 14:17:58 ██████ systemd[1]: Started Cryptography Setup for home. Feb 05 14:17:58 ██████ systemd[1]: Starting Encrypted Volumes. Feb 05 14:17:58 ██████ systemd[1]: Reached target Encrypted Volumes. Feb 05 14:17:58 ██████ systemd-fsck[417]: /dev/mapper/home: clean, █/█ files, █/█ blocks Feb 05 14:17:58 ██████ systemd[1]: Started File System Check on /dev/mapper/home. Feb 05 14:17:58 ██████ systemd[1]: Mounting /home... Feb 05 14:17:58 ██████ systemd[1]: Mounted /home. ====================================================================== 2) During boot, the LUKS partition is not unlocked. systemd-cryptsetup asks for a passphrase (for a different LUKS keyslot). This is the faulty behavior. Snippet from the journal: ====================================================================== Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access ██████ ██████ ███ PMAP PQ: 0 ANSI: 4 Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: scsi 7:0:0:0: Direct-Access Generic USB SD Reader 1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: scsi 7:0:0:1: Direct-Access Generic USB CF Reader 1.01 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: scsi 7:0:0:2: Direct-Access Generic USB xD/SM Reader 1.02 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: scsi 7:0:0:3: Direct-Access Generic USB MS Reader 1.03 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 7:0:0:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI removable disk Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 7:0:0:1: [sdd] Attached SCSI removable disk Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 7:0:0:2: [sde] Attached SCSI removable disk Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 7:0:0:3: [sdf] Attached SCSI removable disk Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ systemd[1]: systemd 208 running in system mode. (+PAM -LIBWRAP -AUDIT -SELINUX -IMA -SYSVINIT +LIBCRYPTSETUP +GCRYPT +ACL +XZ) Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ systemd[1]: Set hostname to <██████>. Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] ██████ 512-byte logical blocks: (15.6 GB/14.5 GiB) Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00 Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sdb: sdb1 sdb2 Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] No Caching mode page found Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Assuming drive cache: write through Feb 06 20:08:50 ██████ kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk ... Feb 06 20:08:53 ██████ systemd[1]: Starting Cryptography Setup for home... Feb 06 20:08:53 ██████ kernel: r8712u: module is from the staging directory, the quality is unknown, you have been warned. Feb 06 20:08:53 ██████ kernel: r8712u: Staging version Feb 06 20:08:53 ██████ kernel: r8712u: register rtl8712_netdev_ops to netdev_ops Feb 06 20:08:53 ██████ kernel: usb 1-6: r8712u: USB_SPEED_HIGH with 4 endpoints Feb 06 20:08:53 ██████ kernel: usb 1-6: r8712u: Boot from EFUSE: Autoload OK Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ kernel: device-mapper: uevent: version 1.0.3 Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ kernel: device-mapper: ioctl: 4.26.0-ioctl (2013-08-15) initialised: dm-devel@redhat.com Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ systemd-cryptsetup[347]: Set cipher aes, mode xts-plain64, key size 512 bits for device /dev/sda9. Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ systemd-cryptsetup[347]: Failed to activate with key file '/dev/disk/by-id/usb-██████████████████-part2': Invalid argument Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ systemd[1]: Mounted FUSE Control File System. Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ systemd[1]: Started File System Check on Root Device. Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ systemd[1]: Starting Dispatch Password Requests to Console... Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ systemd[1]: Started Dispatch Password Requests to Console. Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ systemd-fsck[344]: /dev/sda5: clean, █/█ files, █/█ blocks Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ systemd[1]: Started File System Check on /dev/sda5. Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ systemd[1]: Mounting /boot... Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ systemd[1]: Mounted /boot. Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ kernel: EXT4-fs (sda5): mounted filesystem with ordered data mode. Opts: data=ordered Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ kernel: usb 1-6: r8712u: CustomerID = 0x0000 Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ kernel: usb 1-6: r8712u: MAC Address from efuse = ██:██:██:██:██:██ Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ kernel: usb 1-6: r8712u: Loading firmware from "rtlwifi/rtl8712u.bin" Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ kernel: usbcore: registered new interface driver r8712u Feb 06 20:08:54 ██████ systemd-udevd[182]: renamed network interface wlan0 to ██████████ Feb 06 20:09:27 ██████ systemd-cryptsetup[347]: Set cipher aes, mode xts-plain64, key size 512 bits for device /dev/sda9. Feb 06 20:09:28 ██████ kernel: bio: create slab at 1 Feb 06 20:09:28 ██████ kernel: bio: create slab at 1 Feb 06 20:09:28 ██████ systemd[1]: Found device /dev/mapper/home. Feb 06 20:09:28 ██████ systemd[1]: Starting File System Check on /dev/mapper/home... Feb 06 20:09:28 ██████ systemd[1]: Started Cryptography Setup for home. Feb 06 20:09:28 ██████ systemd[1]: Starting Encrypted Volumes. Feb 06 20:09:28 ██████ systemd[1]: Reached target Encrypted Volumes. Feb 06 20:09:29 ██████ systemd-fsck[413]: /dev/mapper/home: clean, █/█ files, █/█ blocks Feb 06 20:09:29 ██████ systemd[1]: Started File System Check on /dev/mapper/home. Feb 06 20:09:29 ██████ systemd[1]: Mounting /home... Feb 06 20:09:29 ██████ systemd[1]: Mounted /home. ======================================================================