Invisible wrote:
>>>> Mount it with a loop device.
>>>
>>> Random, but... why the hell do you need a loopback "device" in the 
>>> first place? Why can't you just mount (say) an ISO image directly? 
>>> Requiring a loopback device means that
>>>
>>> 1. there are only a finite number of them available,
>>
>> Have a look at this document:
>>   http://www.slax.org/documentation_loop_mount.php
>>
>> Here's how I understand the situation:
>>
>> Linux kernels earlier than v. 2.6.23 had 8 loop devices, unless you 
>> specified more
>> Linux kernel v. 2.6.23 had 256 loop devices
>> Linux kernel v. 2.6.24 and later does not have these limitations
> 
> The device files still have to exist in the filesystem though. (That's a 
> fairly bizare concept in itself...)
> 
>>> 2. before you can mount anything loopback, you have to determine 
>>> which device numbers (if any) are free.
>>
>> Just try this:
>>
>>   mount -o loop,offset=somenumberofbytes ~/sda.img /mnt/sda1
>>
>>  From the mount manual:


>> and use that."
> 
> So somebody wrote the code to automatically select a free device. The 
> fact is, you still need there to be a free device.

If your kernel is of a newer version there will always be a free loop device,
I.e. you don't have to worry about that.


> fact is, you still need there to be a free device. I still don't get why 
> you can't just mount the file itself...

Because the file is not a block device.

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loop_device

-- 
Tor Olav
http://subcube.com

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