Mount a gzip'ed compressed image

I have compressed a Windows (vfat) partition and sent it to another
computer using:
dd if=/dev/hdb2 | gzip -c | ssh otherlinuxmachine 'dd
of=/path/windows.img.gz'

I now want to mount (read only) windows.img.gz without decompressing it
to a file first. Has anyone done this before?

Searching google, the general consensus is that this is impossible
because of problems with the random access of gzip'ed files. However
initrd can mount gzip'ed root images.

I suppose I'm far too used to thinking "I'm using Linux dammit, and I
want to do what I like" to give this up. So call me spoilt (Linux is
goood to me).

--
Ben M.

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----------------

"Ben Measures" <saint_abroadremove@removehotmail.com> wrote in message
news:KrMTb.3462$Ue2.667@news-binary.blueyonder.co.uk...
> I have compressed a Windows (vfat) partition and sent it to another
> computer using:
> dd if=/dev/hdb2 | gzip -c | ssh otherlinuxmachine 'dd
> of=/path/windows.img.gz'
>
> I now want to mount (read only) windows.img.gz without decompressing it
> to a file first. Has anyone done this before?
>
> Searching google, the general consensus is that this is impossible
> because of problems with the random access of gzip'ed files. However
> initrd can mount gzip'ed root images.
>

<Snip>

I think you will find the kernel unzips the initrd image then mounts it.
Most likely it actually checks for a zip signature before deciding whether
to uncompress.

--
Jonathan.

"Ben Measures" <saint_abroadremove@removehotmail.com> wrote in message
news:KrMTb.3462$Ue2.667@news-binary.blueyonder.co.uk...
> I have compressed a Windows (vfat) partition and sent it to another
> computer using:
> dd if=/dev/hdb2 | gzip -c | ssh otherlinuxmachine 'dd
> of=/path/windows.img.gz'
>
> I now want to mount (read only) windows.img.gz without decompressing it
> to a file first. Has anyone done this before?
>
> Searching google, the general consensus is that this is impossible
> because of problems with the random access of gzip'ed files. However
> initrd can mount gzip'ed root images.
>
> I suppose I'm far too used to thinking "I'm using Linux dammit, and I
> want to do what I like" to give this up. So call me spoilt (Linux is
> goood to me).

But, initrd does not, it decompresses the image into a ram disk.

JW