nvme_update_key(2)

💖 nvme_update_key — bestie edition 💖

okay so we're in the libnvme API manual today, and the star of the show is nvme_update_key. she's a system call, she's dramatic, she revokes old keys like it's a group chat cleanup, and honestly? we're obsessed 🎀

---

✨ NAME ✨

nvme_update_key — update key raw data 🔑✨

like. she literally updates the raw data of a key. the way that she does it so effortlessly?? main character energy fr.

---

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

long nvme_update_key (long keyring_id , const char *key_type , const
char *identity , unsigned char *key_data , int key_len );

ngl she takes five arguments and she wants ALL of them. no skipping, no shortcuts, periodt 💅

---

✨ ARGUMENTS ✨

• keyring_id — the Id of the keyring holding key_id. it's giving "which keyring are we even talking about". she needs to know. 🗝️
• key_type — the Type of the key to insert. yes the capital T is doing a lot but that's just the vibe. 🌸
• identity — the Key identity string. this is how we find the girl. it's her name tag at the function. 🏷️
• key_data — the Raw data of the key. the actual payload. the substance. the moment. raw and unfiltered fr fr. 💜
• key_len — the Length of key_data. because bestie needs to know how much raw data she's dealing with. no guessing. 🙈

---

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

okay so here's what she actually does 🧚

she links the keyring specified by keyring_id into the session keyring — so yeah, that keyring gets pulled into the session keyring, sorry not sorry, that's the arrangement.

then she updates the key reference by identity with key_data. so the key that answers to that identity gets the new raw data. glow up. new era. 🌈

and then here's the spicy part 🔥 — the old key with identity identity will be revoked to make it inaccessible. like, GONE gone. not hidden, not archived, revoked. inaccessible. she does not do second chances. 💀

girl help she's not playing around 😭 the old key is literally being sent to the shadow realm. if you were relying on it still working, that's between you and the kernel.

---

✨ RETURN ✨

• Returns the Key id of the new key 💖 if it went well
• or 0 with errno set otherwise 😭

so like. if you get a chill nonzero key id, slay. if you get a 0, check errno, that's where the tea is. 👑

---

---

and that's the whole dang page 🫶

this was nvme_update_key from the libnvme API manual, section nvme_update_key(2), dated July 2026 — and that's nvme_update_key(2) on the way out too, because the header and the footer stay matching like a matching set of butterfly clips 🦋⭐

go update a key bestie, you got this 💅✨