PROBE::VM.KMEM_CAC(3stap)

💖 probe::vm.kmem_cache_alloc — the Memory Tapset one 💖

okay bestie, so this is a page from the Memory Tapset of the SystemTap Tapset Reference, and it's genuinely such a little icon. it's a probe point, it's giving very "quietly observing the kernel's memory drama" energy. let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

probe::vm.kmem_cache_alloc — fires when kmem_cache_alloc is requested 👀

like, the moment somebody asks the kernel for a slab allocation from a cache? this probe is there. main character energy fr fr.

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

probe vm.kmem_cache_alloc {}

that's it. that's the whole vibe. no arguments, no nothing, just a lil curly-brace situation waiting for the kernel to slide into its DMs. iconic 💅

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🦋 VALUES 🦋

okay so these are all the lil goodies you get to peek at inside the probe. every single one, no skips:

• bytes_alloc — the allocated Bytes. like, how much actually got handed over. the real ones ✨
• gfp_flags — the type of kmemory to allocate. this is the flags situation, in all its raw numeric glory 🔥
• ptr — a pointer to the kmemory that got allocated. the actual address of the goods 📍
• caller_function — the name of the caller function. so you know who asked for this. the culprit, bestie 🙈
• call_site — the address of the function that's calling this kmemory function. receipts, basically 🧾
• name — the name of the probe point. hi, that's you 👋
• bytes_req — the requested Bytes. what they asked for, versus bytes_alloc which is what they got. not always the same, iykyk 💀
• gfp_flag_name — the type of kmemory to allocate, but in string format. so like, the readable version of gfp_flags. the glow-up version 🌈

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🎀 SEE ALSO 🎀

• tapset::memory(3stap) — go read this one too, it's the whole memory tapset family and they all ate 💖

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SystemTap Tapset Reference Ver · September 2026

and that's the page, bestie!! mwah, go forth and probe responsibly, no cap 🧚💜