__nilfs_error(9)

💅 __nilfs_error (kernel API manual, section 9) 💅

okay so bestie, we're in the Kernel API Manual today, section 9, and the star of the show is __nilfs_error. she reports failure conditions on a filesystem. yes ma'am. let's get into it 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

__nilfs_error — report failure condition on a filesystem

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

void __nilfs_error (struct super_block *sb , const char *function ,
       const char *fmt , ... );

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• sb — the super block instance, she's the main character here 💅
• function — the name of the calling function, so everyone knows who's speaking
• fmt — the format string for the message that's getting output
• ... — the optional arguments that feed into fmt, iykyk

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🫶 DESCRIPTION 🫶

So what she actually does: __nilfs_error sets an ERROR_FS flag on the superblock and reports an error message. two things at once, she's multitasking, we love that for her.

You should call this function when NILFS detects incoherences or defects of meta data on disk. like, something's off with the on-disk metadata and we need to say so. loud and clear. 📣

Not me needing to clarify this: this function implements the body of the nilfs_error macro. so normally you'd just use nilfs_error. but for sustainable errors, like a single-shot I/O error, you should use nilfs_err instead. different tool, different job, no cap.

🚨 bestie do NOT add a trailing newline to your message — this function will do it for you. do not fight her on this, she's got it handled ✨

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

Kernel file ./fs/nilfs2/super.c and her little friends:

• nilfs_cleanup_super(9)
• nilfs_move_2nd_super(9)
• nilfs_resize_fs(9)
• nilfs_tree_is_busy(9)
• nilfs_fill_super(9)

go read them, they're iconic, fr fr 🌈

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and that's the whole vibe check 💖 this page came from ./fs/nilfs2, dated October 2026, and it's filed under __nilfs_error(9) — slay, go forth and report those failures responsibly 🧚‍♀️⭐