Comments on: Create Linux Loopback File System On Disk File

By: Archie

Archie — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:48:10 +0000

I get the concept of loopback file system now after reading everyones comments. The one question I have is whether this can be achieved on a file system where there is limited disk space, e.g. an embedded system with limited resources. From what I understand here, you have a file system, you then create a file and turn it into another file system. I then need to copy the original file system into this pseudo file system structure in order to trick some application software into thinking its running on a different file system. Do I need twice the disk space of the first file system?

By: CocoChristopher

CocoChristopher — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 01:19:31 +0000

I have found the free IMDISK driver will allow using a filesystem within a host file on Windows.

It can be found here:
http://www.ltr-data.se/opencode.html/#ImDisk

By: Klepto

Klepto — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:01:25 +0000

@Dave C

What you are describing is creating another partition on a disk, this is NOT the same as a loopback filesystem.

By: Padam

Padam — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 15:17:48 +0000

I have created a ntfs image file in Linux . I am able to mount it successfully in linux and add and delete data. But i dont know how can i use this image file in wondows ?

Thanks for help

By: Bluechip

Bluechip — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 01:03:10 +0000

If you want the virtual-fs remounted automatically at boot time …add this to the botto of /etc/fstab :
/virtualfs /mnt/vfs ext3 loop,auto 0 0
…obviously change the fliename[1], mountpoint[6] and filesystem[5] as you require :)

You can test this by un-mounting the current system :
umount /mnt/vfs
…and remounting it with the “mount all” command (as used during boot):
mount -a

…Thnaks for the great tutorial :)

By: David C.

David C. — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:23:19 +0000

Mastaus wrote:
“Is it possible to do the same in Windows XP or Vista ? and how ?”

Yes it is possible. Right-click your My Computer (or simply Computer in Vista/W7) icon and choose Manage from the pop-up menu.

Go to Storage -> Disk Management where you can do all kinds of scary things to your disks, including creating a new partition. Right-click the (C:) portion of Disk 0 and choose to Shrink Volume. Once that process has completed (first you have to make some decisions, etc.), right-click the newly vacated space and choose to create a new partition. The system will assign a drive letter and you can now use it by accessing that drive letter in Windows Explorer. Otherwise, it’s just like using a loop-back file system on Linux.

I hope this helps -

/David C.

By: David C.

David C. — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:13:58 +0000

Scooter wrote:
“Anyone know why sometimes, even after a umount of the mounted file, losetup -d /dev/loop returns “LOOP_CLR_FD: Device or resource busy” ?”

Someone or some process has a file open on the device . . .