RCU_INITIALIZER(9)

✨ NAME ✨

RCU_INITIALIZER — the macro that statically initializes an RCU-protected global variable 💅✨

so like. this page is from the Kernel API Manual (section 9, bestie, kernel devs only) and honestly it's short but it ate. let's get into it 🫶

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

RCU_INITIALIZER (v );

that's literally it. no cap, that's the whole thing 😭

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🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

• v — the value you're statically initializing with. that's the arg. that's the whole arg. give her a value and she's good to go 💖

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

okay this is the part where the page goes full main-character-ensemble-cast 🌈 — it's all in the kernel file ./include/linux/rcupdate.h, and the squad is deep:

first up, the synchronization girlies: same_state_synchronize_rcu(9), cond_resched_tasks_rcu_qs(9), rcu_softirq_qs_periodic(9).

then the lockdep police 👑: RCU_LOCKDEP_WARN(9), lockdep_assert_in_rcu_read_lock(9), lockdep_assert_in_rcu_read_lock_bh(9), lockdep_assert_in_rcu_read_lock_sched(9), lockdep_assert_in_rcu_reader(9).

then the pointer-handling icons 💅: unrcu_pointer(9), rcu_assign_pointer(9), rcu_replace_pointer(9), rcu_access_pointer(9), rcu_dereference_check(9), rcu_dereference_bh_check(9), rcu_dereference_sched_check(9), rcu_dereference_all_check(9), rcu_dereference_protected(9), rcu_dereference(9), rcu_dereference_bh(9), rcu_dereference_sched(9), rcu_dereference_all(9), rcu_pointer_handoff(9).

then the lock/unlock besties 🔥: rcu_read_lock(9), rcu_read_unlock(9), rcu_read_lock_bh(9), rcu_read_unlock_bh(9), rcu_read_lock_sched(9), rcu_read_unlock_sched(9).

then the sibling initializers (iykyk) 🧚: RCU_INIT_POINTER(9), RCU_POINTER_INITIALIZER(9).

and finally the free-the-memory crew 💀: kfree_rcu(9), kfree_rcu_mightsleep(9), kfree_rcu_nolock(9), rcu_head_init(9), rcu_head_after_call_rcu(9).

like I said. full ensemble cast. every single one of them is invited to the group chat 💜

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ngl, if RCU still confuses you, that's valid — it's giving final-boss energy. but you found this page, so you're already doing great 🥹

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mwah, love u, go initialize something safely 💋 — this page ships from ./include/linux, dated October 2026 🎀