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Reference.org
cloop
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<p>The compressed loop device (cloop) is a <a href="/facts/Loadable_kernel_module/UXvHsj2c">module</a> for the <a href="/facts/Linux_kernel/dlkduHuA">Linux kernel</a>. It adds support for transparently decompressed, read-only <a href="/facts/Device_file/t8ISnXft">block devices</a>. It is not a compressed <a href="/facts/File_system/FdPm90uc">file system</a>: cloop is mostly used as a convenient way to compress conventional file systems onto <a href="/facts/Live_CD/J4bpHUs1">Live CDs</a>. </p><p>Cloop was originally written for the <a href="/facts/Levanta/YeJEVsVf">Levanta</a> Bootable Business Card by <a href="/facts/Rusty_Russell/xNEL8RgP">Rusty Russell</a>, but is now maintained by <a href="/facts/Klaus_Knopper/UqG9umEl">Klaus Knopper</a>, the author of <a href="/facts/Knoppix/BkrEUxHC">Knoppix</a>. </p><p>A compression ratio of about 2.5:1 is common for software. The Knoppix cloop image, for example, is 700 MB compressed and around 1.8 GB uncompressed. </p>