MEMORY LAYOUT(9)

🧠✨ Memory layout ✨🧠

okay bestie, so this is the Memory layout page from the Kernel API Manual, and it's basically the "where do we keep our stuff" lore for iwlmei 🫶

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Since iwlwifi calls iwlmei without any context, iwlmei has to hold a global pointer to its data — and that data lives in the mei client device's private data area. That's just how it is, no cap. 💅

But listen: if there was no bind on the mei bus, that pointer is NULL, and iwlmei knows it has no access to the CSME firmware when requests come in from iwlwifi. That's the whole vibe check. 🙈

Here's the plot twist though — iwlmei also needs to cache requests from iwlwifi for when there's no mei client device available (i.e. when iwlmei has been removed from the mei bus). In that situation, literally all of iwlmei's data that resides in the mei client device's private data area is unavailable. 😭 So for this specific case, a separate caching area is needed. She improvises, she adapts, main character energy. 👑

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👀 SEE ALSO 👀

📁 the kernel file (go read it bestie)

• Kernel file ./drivers/net/wireless/intel/iwlwifi/mei/iwl-mei.h

🌸 the whole cinematic universe

• Introduction(9)
• Life cycle(9)
• Concurrency(9)
• Probe and remove from mei bus driver(9)
• Driver load when CSME owns the device(9)
• CSME behavior regarding the ownership requests(9)
• Driver load when CSME is associated and a session is active(9)
• Datapath(9)

🎀 the enums and structs (iykyk)

• enum iwl_mei_nvm_caps(9)
• struct iwl_mei_nvm(9)
• enum iwl_mei_pairwise_cipher(9)
• enum iwl_mei_akm_auth(9)
• struct iwl_mei_conn_info(9)
• struct iwl_mei_colloc_info(9)
• enum iwl_mei_sap_version(9)

⭐ the functions, in all their glory

• iwl_mei_is_connected(9)
• iwl_mei_get_nvm(9)
• iwl_mei_get_ownership(9)
• iwl_mei_set_rfkill_state(9)
• iwl_mei_set_nic_info(9)
• iwl_mei_set_country_code(9)
• iwl_mei_set_power_limit(9)
• iwl_mei_register(9)
• iwl_mei_start_unregister(9)
• iwl_mei_unregister_complete(9)
• iwl_mei_set_netdev(9)
• iwl_mei_tx_copy_to_csme(9)
• iwl_mei_host_associated(9)
• iwl_mei_host_disassociated(9)
• iwl_mei_device_state(9)
• iwl_mei_pldr_req(9)
• iwl_mei_alive_notif(9)

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💖 friendly reminder: the data lives in the mei client device's private data area, and when that's gone it's gone — that's exactly why the separate caching area exists. Don't come for her, she's prepared.

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okay that's the whole page, you ate that 💅✨ source path is ./drivers/net/wireless/intel/i... (the terminal truncated it, not me, blame the width), and the date stamp on this masterpiece is October 2026 — yes, from the future, iconic behavior. see u in the next manpage bestie 🎀🦋