[pve-devel] [PATCH docs] add encryption section for PBS

[pve-devel] [PATCH docs] add encryption section for PBS

[Fabian Ebner]

Some parts from the PBS docs where re-used.

Signed-off-by: Fabian Ebner <f.ebner@proxmox.com>
---
 pve-storage-pbs.adoc | 42 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 vzdump.adoc          |  5 +++++
 2 files changed, 47 insertions(+)

diff --git a/pve-storage-pbs.adoc b/pve-storage-pbs.adoc
index 9527237..1bb0721 100644
--- a/pve-storage-pbs.adoc
+++ b/pve-storage-pbs.adoc
@@ -82,6 +82,48 @@ container.
 |backup        |n/a           |yes    |n/a       |n/a
 |===============================================================
 
+[[storage_pbs_encryption]]
+Encryption
+~~~~~~~~~~
+
+Optionally, you can configure client-side encryption with AES-256 in GCM mode.
+Encryption can be configured either via the web interface, or on the CLI with
+the `encryption-key` option (see above). The key will be saved in the file
+`/etc/pve/priv/storage/<STORAGE-ID>.enc`, which is only accessible by the root
+user.
+
+WARNING: Without their key, backups will be inaccessible. Thus, you should
+keep keys ordered and in a place that is separate from the contents being
+backed up. It can happen, for example, that you back up an entire system, using
+a key on that system. If the system then becomes inaccessible for any reason
+and needs to be restored, this will not be possible as the encryption key will be
+lost along with the broken system.
+
+It is recommended that you keep your keys safe, but easily accessible, in
+order for quick disaster recovery. For this reason, the best place to store it
+is in your password manager, where it is immediately recoverable. As a backup to
+this, you should also save the key to a USB drive and store that in a secure
+place. This way, it is detached from any system, but is still easy to recover
+from, in case of emergency. Finally, in preparation for the worst case scenario,
+you should also consider keeping a paper copy of your master key locked away in
+a safe place. The `paperkey` subcommand can be used to create a QR encoded
+version of your master key. The following command sends the output of the
+`paperkey` command to a text file, for easy printing.
+
+----
+# proxmox-backup-client key paperkey --output-format text > qrkey.txt
+----
+
+Because the encryption is managed on the client side, you can use the same
+datastore on the server for unencrypted backups and encrypted backups, even
+if they are encrypted with different keys. However, deduplication between
+backups with different keys is not possible, so it is often better to create
+separate datastores.
+
+NOTE: Do not use encryption if there is no benefit from it, for example, when
+you are running the server locally in a trusted network. It is always easier to
+recover from unencrypted backups.
+
 Examples
 ~~~~~~~~
 
diff --git a/vzdump.adoc b/vzdump.adoc
index 3c67b88..9453684 100644
--- a/vzdump.adoc
+++ b/vzdump.adoc
@@ -179,6 +179,11 @@ compression algorithm has been used to create the backup.
 If the backup file name doesn't end with one of the above file extensions, then
 it was not compressed by vzdump.
 
+Backup Encryption
+-----------------
+
+For Proxmox Backup Server storages, you can optionally set up client-side
+encryption of backups, see xref:storage_pbs_encryption[the corresponding section.]
 
 [[vzdump_retention]]
 Backup Retention
-- 
2.20.1

[pve-devel] applied: [PATCH docs] add encryption section for PBS

[Thomas Lamprecht]

On 25.11.20 15:53, Fabian Ebner wrote:
> Some parts from the PBS docs where re-used.
> 
> Signed-off-by: Fabian Ebner <f.ebner@proxmox.com>
> ---
>  pve-storage-pbs.adoc | 42 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>  vzdump.adoc          |  5 +++++
>  2 files changed, 47 insertions(+)
> 
>

applied, thanks!