Cloning an encrypted drive

[tdenson]

Is there any way of cloning a FileVaulted drive and retaining the encryption ?

[dnanian]

If it's a non-boot drive, format the destination encrypted and use Smart Update.

If it's a boot drive, start up from the backup. Use Recovery Partition Creator (http://musings.silvertooth.us) or reinstall the OS from the App Store to create a recovery volume. Then, turn on encryption in System Preferences.

Once done, you don't have to wait for it to finish. Boot back to the regular volume. Future updates should be made with Smart Update, and encryption and bootability should be maintained.

[tdenson]

If it's a non-boot drive, format the destination encrypted and use Smart Update.

If it's a boot drive, start up from the backup. Use Recovery Partition Creator (http://musings.silvertooth.us) or reinstall the OS from the App Store to create a recovery volume. Then, turn on encryption in System Preferences.

Once done, you don't have to wait for it to finish. Boot back to the regular volume. Future updates should be made with Smart Update, and encryption and bootability should be maintained.


Thanks Dave

[Timmy]

SuperDuper! really should handle the creation of the Recovery Partition when cloning an encrypted boot volume.
A clone should be a seamless process for the user.

I predicted this would be an issue several years ago when FileVault2 first came out. Now years later it is still a hassle to create a working clone of a FileVault2 boot volume with SuperDuper!!

[dnanian]

It's a one-time hassle that also ensures that changes made by Apple to the whole recovery process are able to be managed without updating SuperDuper, though.

(And, if you want an encrypted backup but don't care about bootability -- because you can boot from, say, a thumb drive with the OS on it -- you can do that, too, without a recovery volume)

Regardless, you point is well taken, and thanks for the comment.