__register_sysctl_init(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

✨ __register_sysctl_init 💅

okay so bestie, welcome to section 9 of the Kernel API Manual — this is the page for __register_sysctl_init, and honestly it's giving "quiet little init helper that just does its job and doesn't make drama." 🎀

🌸 NAME 🌸

__register_sysctl_init — register sysctl table to path ✨

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

void __register_sysctl_init (const char *path , const struct ctl_table
*table , const char *table_name , size_t table_size );

like, that's the whole signature, no cap. four args, returns nothing (void, she's not about to hand you an error code, we'll get to why 👀).

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • path — the path name for the sysctl base. and if that path doesn't exist, we will create it for you. we gotchu 💖
  • table — this is the sysctl table that needs to be registered to the path. ⚠️ the caller must ensure the life of the table will be kept during the lifetime use of the sysctl — like, you can't just let it die?? that's on you, not on her 🫶
  • table_name — the name of the sysctl table. it's only used for log printing when registration fails, so it's basically the ✨name on the caller ID✨ for when things go wrong.
  • table_size — the number of elements in table. literally just how many there are. 🔢

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

okay so context: the sysctl interface is used by userspace to query or modify, at runtime, a predefined value set on a variable. 🔥

but — and this is the iconic part — these variables have default values pre-set. so code which depends on these variables will always work even if register_sysctl fails. 😌 if register_sysctl fails you'd just loose the ability to query or modify the sysctls dynamically at run time. (yes, "loose" — that's the original spelling, i'm not touching it, iykyk 🙈)

chances of register_sysctl failing on init are extremely low, and so for both reasons this function does not return any error — it's used by initialization code. periodt. 💅

🧚 CONTEXT 🧚

if your base directory does not exist it will be created for you. ✨ (she's proactive like that)

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Kernel file ./fs/proc/proc_sysctl.c:

💀 friendly reminder from your girl: no error return means no error return. don't go checking a return value that doesn't exist, bestie.

okay that's the whole page!! mwah 🫶 this came from ./fs/proc, dated October 2026, and it's __register_sysctl_init(9) — go register something slay today 💖✨🎀

📦 where this page comes from