_allow_idle(9)

πŸ“¦ version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

🌸 _allow_idle(9) β€” like, the Kernel API Manual's cutest little power-saver 🌸

okay bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual page for _allow_idle, and trust me when I say this one is short but iconic πŸ’… it's a kernel function that literally lets a DPLL go to sleep when nobody's using it. main character energy fr fr.


✨ NAME ✨

_allow_idle β€” the one that flips on the DPLL autoidle bits πŸŽ€

I know, I know β€” "enable DPLL autoidle bits" sounds like a lot. It is what it says. She turns the autoidle on. Periodt. πŸ’–


πŸ¦‹ SYNOPSIS πŸ¦‹

void _allow_idle (struct clk_hw_omap *clk );

that's it. that's the whole signature. no return value, no drama, no surprises. a clean little void moment ✨


πŸŽ€ ARGUMENTS πŸŽ€

  • clk β€” your girl. this is the struct clk * of the DPLL you want to operate on πŸ‘‘ like, the actual clock thingy you're telling to chill out. you gotta hand her over, no cap.

πŸ’œ DESCRIPTION πŸ’œ

okay so here's the vibe: _allow_idle enables DPLL automatic idle control πŸ’« that's the whole job and she does it well.

what that means (iykyk) is that the DPLL will enter low-power stop when its downstream clocks are gated πŸ”₯ like, once nothing downstream needs it, she clocks out and goes to sleep. truly respectful of everyone's time and energy.

No return value. obviously. she's void. she doesn't report back, she just does the thing. 🫢

πŸ™ˆ also there's a REVISIT note tucked in here, and we do not ignore those in this house: the DPLL can optionally enter low-power bypass by writing 0x1 instead. the manpage also asks for some mechanism to optionally enter this mode β€” so like, that's a known "would be nice to have" and not a thing you can just do today πŸ’€ don't go assuming, bestie.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

  • the Kernel file ./arch/arm/mach-omap2/clkt2xxx_dpll.c πŸ“ β€” go read the source, it's giving receipts
  • _deny_idle(9) πŸš«πŸ’€ β€” the literal opposite of this one, the "actually no, stay awake" page. bestie duo fr fr

πŸŒΈπŸ’– and that's the whole page!! tiny but mighty, just like her πŸ’–πŸŒΈ

🧚 signed, sealed, delivered: this is from the ./arch/arm/mach-omap2 source, dated October 2026, and yes the title is _allow_idle(9) β€” you're welcome, mwah πŸ˜˜πŸ’…
πŸ“¦ where this page comes from