SecureDrive for Psion released by SymbianWave

[Midas]

SecureDrive is a unique program for Psion that allows you to keep your data in secure form without you having to think about it. All these actions are performed "on the fly" and are transparent to you. Program adds new disks visible as regular disks and you can work with them as with regular ones - store your files there, install applications onto these disks, run them, etc. But you can be sure that your data is confidential.

Moreover, you can immediately close the access to your data by locking a disk only without unmounting it (manually, by hotkey, when device cover is closed, etc). Also you can create disks without encrypting them, for ordering your files only and much more other functions.

http://www.symbianwave.com/product.php?id=sd_epoc

[german-lutz]

Thanks!

That's a great program.

Greetings
Lutz

[donkeyontheedge]

This uses an installable file system, (.FSY) which is a modified version of Ext2fs. I have been thinking for some time that we really need some programmers to develop a FSY for standard ext2fs and/or FAT32 to enable better use of larger CF cards.

This looks like an excellent product, and I'm going to mail this company to give them the idea of realeasing a non-encrypting version for standard file access to larger CF cards.

John

[Midas]

Hello John,

It is not necessary to use encription. You can create non-encrypted disks with SecureDrive.

[wanman]

How will this application affect such titles as Chris Handley's FastBackup? Also If I insert the CF card into a PC, will I still be able to backup/access these encrypted files?

Cheers

[Midas]

It will work with any kind of backup.

If you insert your CF into a CF reader, you will not be able to read encrypted files! You will be able only to read a container file (it can be copied, moved, etc...). However you can install SDrive WINS version for Psion emulator (it is free) and work with container files.

[cshandley]

Glad to see this is finally released. What I find interesting is that it CACHES the disk, which the existing Psion FAT16 system does not appear to do. So it could greatly speed-up a Microdrive for instance...

[Midas]

I myself worked about 1 year with securedrive containing my Psion mail (physically placed on a CF card). It works noticeable faster than usual CF. For my "mail drive", cache statistics shows around 70% of successful hits.

[wanman]

Sorry for being a bit thick, but are you saying that if you install and run this securedrive software and place folders such as your mail folder in one of these secure 'pseudo' drives, that access/use of your mail folders is noticeably quicker?

[Midas]

Yes, that is right. I created a new disk M: right for mail, with small block size (512 bytes) and big cache (64 blocks). Email starts and opens my mail for M: in 4.5 sec. I just moved all mail to D: and repeated the procedure. It took 6 sec. (I checked twice). But I have not many mails on my drive so you'd probably get better result with greater number of mails. You can try SD by yourself.

Then, with "mail drive", I use my CF space more effective due to a smaller block size (Psion mail consists of many small files - ideal for placing on a drive with small blocks).

[Lewis]

First of all, Midas, thank you for what is clearly a remarkable & highly sophisticated new Psion app! :) ...and one which doesn't just offer enhanced features over existing, established apps, but provides a completely new function under EPOC. I don't understand all the technicalities, but will install the demo and try to educate myself! In the meantime four main questions:

Does this installable file system enable one to address, or at least partition, drives bigger than EPOC's 2GB limit?... I'm guessing that this may not be so, since (if I understand it correctly) EPOC's filing system is still addressing/manipulating the 'container files' which SecureDrive creates and which the user sees as virtual drives. So, a physical drive can't be greater than 2GB, unless one can partition it under EPOC's file system, right? (This is being discussed on another, currently active thread: http://www.pdastreet.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=36995).

If this is the case, then SecureDrive's principal advantages are (i) the ability to create separate virtual drives, potentially having (ii) different cluster sizes from the physical host drive, with also (iii) the option of global drive encryption, and (iv) (user definable) disk caching. Like I said, WOW! The app's webpage states that there are no 'backdoors' (i.e 'forget your password at your peril!'), but what is the encryption method it uses? Is it as secure, say, as Crypto's 256-bit RC4 algorithm?

As for the very interesting idea of having a dedicated Mail drive; I understand the advantage of having a SecureDrive Mail drive in terms of memory usage, but I'm not quite clear about the possible improvement in speed. Are you saying (as I'm thinking) that Mail only runs faster (by virtue of disk caching) on an SD virtual drive created on Compact Flash when compared to one that is simply moved to CF in the conventional way; whatever the speed of the CF, it wouldn't run faster than in internal RAM, would it?

Presumably if Mail's speed was crucial (with very big Mail folders), one could still create a SecureDrive on drive C (is this permissable?), so as to take advantage of the encryption facility; the loss in speed (I imagine there would have to be some) with SecureDrive 'sitting on top' of EPOC's filing system and de/encrypting 'on the fly', would be small, I guess. As you say, transferring Mail to a SecureDrive on CF would increase data security in terms of using non-volatile RAM (as opposed to cryptographic security), but I worry about excessive writing to CF when Mail is used very intensively (RAM doesn't 'wear out' but CF life is finite); so, I feel keeping Mail in RAM (but on an 'M' drive, not C) with daily FastBackups may be safer, in this regard. What do you think?

Thanks again & Good Luck with your new SymbianWave venture. :)

Lewis

[Midas]

Hello Lewis,

Thank you for such a long messge :). I will try to answer all of your questions (sorry for mistakes, English is not my native language).

Yes, you are right, the only way to use large (more than 2 Gb) cards is to create partitions. SD physically creates only ordinary files (containers) and they cannot be more than 2 Gb size (however, I will ask Robin, the SD's author, about this).

Now about disk speed. We _deeply_ tested SD before releasing, it took about 1.5 years (do not worry :) there were not many bugs). All testers noticed speed improvement when it came to CF (and an SD disk created on this card). Speed improvement can vary according to the number and size of files stored on the secure drive.

Sure you can create container files on the C: drive and store your mail on it. I myself prefer to use CF for that, because it is much safer in a case of power loss, and, I can free more RAM to run applications. In any case, storing files on secure disks is safe, as we've tested the program a lot. Yes CF's life is limited (although the limit is VERY high), but SD uses caching technology and this REALLY lowers the number of writes.
As for speed, I think it will be no meaningful difference between C: itself and a secure disk created on C:.

SecureDrive uses RC6 encryption with 128/192/256 bit keys.

In any case, you can try the program by yourself and decide if it satisfies your needs or not. But please note: if you decide to move your mail onto secure drive, be sure to move it back to ordinary drive before SD expires. After expiring, SD will not write on secure disks, it will allow only to read them. However Email application always need to write some data when it starts.

[dukibean]

I've given this application a good bashing over the last few days, and on the whole it is excellent. However, I've noticed two key issues that greatly impair is use:


1. On my netBook, if I lock/unlock an encrypted disk several
times the unlock facility disappears and I have to reboot
to get my drive back.

2. When backing up data, the container files used to create
the psuedo drives cannot be copied, therefor no secure
backups can be made. Files from the psuedo drives can
be copied, but only using the normal file structure, hence
not protected.


An additional problem, which is probably wholly atributable to myself, is that I cannot get the psuedo drives to automatically mount after a reboot. Its a superb application, though. I do hope the unlock bug gets resolved.


Regards

[cshandley]

dukibean,

Can't you backup the image file when it is not mounted? BTW, this is only an idea, I have not used the program yet.

[Midas]

1. Unfortunatley we still cannot reproduce your problem with unlocking :(. You wrote that you use PsiLoc on your netBook. All I remember about my intercourse with PsiLoc was hard resets and hard resets :(

2. Container files CAN be copied and backed up! I've just checked - everything works fine (with PsiWin backup and with FastBackup by cshandley). These are usual files!

3. To use automount feature you may use our program AlarmPlus (http://www.symbianwave.com/product.php?id=alarmplus):

Q: I want to mount disks automatically after reset.
A: 1. Define disks mounted at startup in Tools \ Automount menu.
2. Use our AlarmPlus utility to start auto mounting program, insert the next line into AlarmPlus' Autostart tab:
run file:X:\system\programs\SD_AutoMount.exe
where X: is a drive where SecureDrive installed.

[Edwards_SJ]

Originally posted by Midas
1. Unfortunatley we still cannot reproduce your problem with unlocking :(. You wrote that you use PsiLoc on your netBook. All I remember about my intercourse with PsiLoc was hard resets and hard resets :(


Is anyone using this with successfully with PsiLoc?

I would like to give it a go but PsiLoc is running very nicely on my machine at the moment.

Cheers

Ed.

[Midas]

Hello Ed,

You can try SD with PsiLoc by yourself (SD is fully functional within 21 days). Moreover, we'll really appreciate if you confirm (or not) if it always allows you to unlock your drive or some time you need to perfom a reset for that. We do need feedback and bug reports. Thank you.

[dukibean]

PsiLoc is also running very nicely on my machine, I've never had a problem with it and find it to be a valuable tool for my netBook.

I cannot be certain that it is PsiLoc that is clashing with my installation of Secure Drive, but I cannot get rid of the 'Unlock' problem that I have encountered.

I've been using the excelletn Fast Backup for many months now, but I cannot get it to backup the container files as described in my previous port. I shall try Chris' suggestion to unmount the drives and try it again.

Regards

[Midas]

You do not need to unmount container files! FaskBackup does backup them without unmounting! On my netBook everything works fine (however, I do not use PsiLoc).

[Midas]

Just installed PsiLoc - everything works fine. It does allow to backup containers, and I don't have problems with disk locks (tried lots of times). Maybe you have another system programs loaded? And does it work with PsiLoc disabled?

PS. 2 hours later - tried to remove PsiLoc, sure caught a hard reset :). Of course, I was prepared to it.

[cshandley]

Originally posted by dukibean
I've been using the excelletn Fast Backup for many months now, but I cannot get it to backup the container files as described in my previous post.
I would be interested in the error/info message given. Specifically, I expect that it will report being unable to close (or kill) a particular program (or file of a particular program).

[dukibean]

Interestingly, FastBackup does not report an error. The backup process continues as normal.

It was only when I searched my backup disk for the container files that I realised they were not backed up. Interestingly, I cannot copy the files manually, even when they are not mounted.

I guess there is something weird going on with my OS, which is annoying as its only been a few weeks since I did a complete reinstall of everything.

The only thing that looks a bit suss is that my installation of nConvert went corrupt since fiddling with all of this stuff.

Regards

[kleinerp]

I have purchased SecureDrive but have been very disappointed with the performance after setting up a "mail" drive. I have a NetBook upgraded to 64MB with a 64MB CF card. All additional apps to those in the OS have been installed onto D: apart from SecureDrive which is installed on C:

I have setup two SecureDrives on D:
one to hold my documents, personal files (P)
one to hold my email (M)

M: was created with small block size (512 bytes) and big cache (64 blocks). Email opens fine and connects to my ISP via my WiFi connection. However if I have a handful of emails waiting for collection it takes quite some time to read the headers and then goes really slowly trying to move the emails to the Inbox. Often it times out if there is more than just one or two emails to download.

Consequently I have moved my Mail folder back to C: and will backup the folder to CF.

Any ideas what the problem may be?

[donkeyontheedge]

Originally posted by kleinerp
M: was created with small block size (512 bytes) and big cache (64 blocks). ...if I have a handful of emails waiting for collection it takes quite some time to read the headers and then goes really slowly trying to move the emails to the Inbox. Often it times out if there is more than just one or two emails to download.


Just a thought, but you've given a 32Kb cache to your mail drive - could it be that the cache is waiting to fill up before being written to disk? Perhaps a smaller cache of around 4Kb or so would be more prudent? Or even better, a cache size which is a multiple of your physical cluster size.

I too have purchased SD, but haven't installed it yet, so I can't comment on any real tests...

John

[cshandley]

Interestingly, FastBackup does not report an error. The backup process continues as normal.
If that is the case, then the OS (or at least OPL) must be reporting success in copying the file. Damn wierd, and as you say, something wierd must be going on with your OS.


I guess there is something weird going on with my OS, which is annoying as its only been a few weeks since I did a complete reinstall of everything.

The only thing that looks a bit suss is that my installation of nConvert went corrupt since fiddling with all of this stuff.
Only thing I can think is that one of your disks (C or D?) may be corrupt... :(

[Midas]

I agree with Chris. It's probably something wrong with CF card. I'd recommend you to backup your CF, reformat it (better to do this with EDU) and then restore from backup. SD does really improve CF perfomance, it is not just big words.