LOFI(4D) Devices LOFI(4D)
NAME
lofi - Loopback file driver
DESCRIPTION
The
lofi file driver exports a file as a block device, enabling
system utilities such as
fstyp(8),
fsck(8) and
mount(8) to operate on
underlying file system images (including CD-ROM and FAT floppy
images) contained on the block device. Reads and writes to the block
device are translated to reads and writes on the exported file. See
lofiadm(8) for examples.
File block device entries are contained in
/dev/lofi. The
/dev/rlofi file contains the character (or raw) device entries. Entries are in
the form of decimal numbers and are assigned through
lofiadm(8).
When created, these device entries are owned by root, in group sys
and have permissions of 0600. Ownership, group, and permission
settings can be altered, however there may be ramifications. See
lofiadm(8) for more information.
lofi devices can be compressed. See
lofiadm(8) for more information.
Files exported through
lofi can also be encrypted. See
lofiadm(8) for
details on how to specify encryption keys.
FILES
/dev/lofictl Master control device
/dev/lofi/n Block device for file
n /dev/rlofi/n Character device for file
n /kernel/drv/lofi 32-bit driver
/kernel/drv/sparcv9/lofi 64-bit driver (SPARC)
/kernel/drv/amd64/lofi 64-bit driver (x86)
/kernel/drv/lofi.conf Driver configuration file. (Do not alter).
ATTRIBUTES
See
attributes(7) for a description of the following attributes:
+--------------------+-----------------+
| ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
+--------------------+-----------------+
|Architecture | SPARC, x86 |
+--------------------+-----------------+
|Interface Stability | Committed |
+--------------------+-----------------+
SEE ALSO
lofs(4FS),
attributes(7),
fsck(8),
fstyp(8),
lofiadm(8),
mount(8),
newfs(8)NOTES
Just as you would not directly access a disk device that has mounted
file systems, you should not access a file associated with a block
device except through the
lofi file driver.
For compatibility purposes, a raw device is also exported with the
block device. (For example,
newfs(8)).
November 25, 2008 LOFI(4D)
