loop.4: Document the loop-control device

Signed-off-by: Michael Kerrisk <mtk.manpages@gmail.com>
This commit is contained in:
Michael Kerrisk 2015-05-01 15:03:50 +02:00
parent 56b4a66a39
commit 482ee36128
1 changed files with 39 additions and 2 deletions

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.\" Copyright 2002 Urs Thuermann (urs@isnogud.escape.de)
.\" and Copyright 2015 Michael Kerrisk <mtk.manpages@gmail.com>
.\"
.\" %%%LICENSE_START(GPLv2+_DOC_FULL)
.\" This is free documentation; you can redistribute it and/or
@ -24,7 +25,7 @@
.\"
.TH LOOP 4 "2005-12-05" "Linux" "Linux Programmer's Manual"
.SH NAME
loop \- driver for loop devices
loop, loop-control \- loop devices
.SH SYNOPSIS
#include <linux/loop.h>
.SH DESCRIPTION
@ -166,8 +167,44 @@ struct loop_info64 {
};
.in
.fi
.SS /dev/loop-control
Since Linux 3.1,
.\" commit 770fe30a46a12b6fb6b63fbe1737654d28e84844
the kernel provides the
.I /dev/loop-control
device, which permits an application to dynamically find a free device,
and to add and remove loop devices from the system.
To perform these operations, one first opens
.IR /dev/loop-control
and then employs one of the following
.BR ioctl (2)
operations:
.TP
.B LOOP_CTL_GET_FREE
Allocate or find a free loop device for use.
On success, the device number is returned as the result of the call.
This operation takes no argument.
.TP
.B LOOP_CTL_ADD
Add the new loop device whose device number is specified
as a long integer in the third
.BR ioctl (2)
argument.
On success, the device index is returned as the result of the call.
If the device is already allocated, the call fails with the error
.BR EEXIST .
.TP
.B LOOP_CTL_REMOVE
Remove the loop device whose device number is specified
as a long integer in the third
.BR ioctl (2)
argument.
On success, the device number is returned as the result of the call.
If the device is in use, the call fails with the error
.BR EBUSY .
.SH FILES
/dev/loop[0-7]: The loop block special device files
.IR /dev/loop* :
the loop block special device files
.SH "SEE ALSO"
.BR losetup (8),
.BR mount (8)