__pte_alloc_one(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 __pte_alloc_one — bestie, it's the PTE page-table allocator

okay so real talk, this is a kernel API manual page from the Kernel API Manual, and the function we're stanning today is __pte_alloc_one. No cap, she's a lil niche but she matters 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

__pte_alloc_one — allocate memory for a PTE-level user page table 🌸

Like, she gets you the memory for a PTE-level user page table. That's the whole vibe. Iconic, honestly.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

pgtable_t __pte_alloc_one (struct mm_struct *mm , gfp_t gfp );

That's her signature, copy it exactly bestie, character for character 🫶

✨ ARGUMENTS ✨

  • mm — the mm_struct of the current context. like, whose memory map are we talking about rn 💭
  • gfp — the GFP flags to use for the allocation. these are the lil instructions that tell the allocator how to do its thing ✨

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

So what she actually does: allocate memory for a page table and a ptdesc, and then she runs pagetable_pte_ctor. Two-for-one, we love a multitasker 💅

And listen — this one is intended for architectures that need anything beyond simple page allocation, or that must have custom GFP flags. So if your arch is lowkey extra about allocation?? she's literally built for you 👑

✨ RETURN ✨

You get back a struct page referencing the ptdesc — or NULL on error 😭 (and yeah, check for that NULL, bestie, don't just rawdog it)

✨ SEE ALSO ✨

the kernel file ./include/asm-generic/pgalloc.h, plus her whole friend group:

squad goals fr fr 🌈

okay that's the whole page, mwah 💖 this gem dropped out of the ./include/asm-generic directory and the page itself is dated October 2026 — so like, mark your calendars or whatever, and go allocate something cute 🦋

📦 where this page comes from