The Loopback Root Filesystem HOWTO The Loopback Root Filesystem HOWTO by Andrew M. Bishop, [e-mail]1.0.0, 12 June 1998This HOWTO explains how to use the Linux loopback device to create a Linux native filesystem format installation that can be run from a DOS partition without re-partitioning. Other uses of this same technique are also discussed.1. Principles of Loopback Devices and Ramdisks1.1 Loopback Devices1.2 Ramdisk Devices1.3 The Initial Ramdisk Device1.4 The Root Filesystem1.5 The Linux Boot Sequence2. How To Create a Loopback Root Device2.1 Requirements2.2 Creating the Linux Kernel2.3 Creating the Initial Ramdisk Device2.4 Creating The Root Device2.5 Creating the Swap Device2.6 Creating the MSDOS Directory2.7 Creating the Boot Floppy3. Booting the System3.1 Possible Problems With Solutions3.2 Reference Documents4. Other Loopback Root Device Possibilities4.1 DOS Hard-disk Only Installation4.2 LILO Booted Installation4.3 VFAT / NTFS Installation4.4 Installing Linux without Re-partitioning4.5 Booting From a Non-bootable device