ATOMIC STATE RESET AND INITIALIZATION(9)

Kernel API Manual bestie!! We're in (9) territory, and this page is atomic stat...itialization(9) — aka atomic state reset and initialization. Buckle up, it's giving kernel-graphics study date 💖

✨ NAME ✨

atomic state reset and initialization — the reset-and-init era of DRM atomic state, and yes, we're gonna understand it together 🦋

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

Okay so here's the vibe: both the drm core and the atomic helpers straight-up assume that there is always the full and correct atomic software state available for all connectors, CRTCs and planes. Like, all of them. Always. Which is lowkey a problem on driver load, and also after system suspend 😭

One way to solve this is to have a hardware state read-out infrastructure that reconstructs the full software state — for example, the i915 driver does this. Slay for them, honestly 👑

The simpler solution is to just reset the software state to everything off, which is easiest to do by calling drm_mode_config_reset. To facilitate this, the atomic helpers provide default reset implementations for all hooks. Cute, convenient, we love a built-in reset moment ✨

On the upside, the precise state tracking of atomic simplifies system suspend and resume a lot. For drivers using drm_mode_config_reset, a complete recipe is implemented in drm_atomic_helper_suspend and drm_atomic_helper_resume. For other drivers, the building blocks are split out — see the documentation for these functions, bestie 👀

💫 SEE ALSO 💫

• Kernel file: ./drivers/gpu/drm/drm_atomic_state_helper.c — the source file to go peek at 👋
• __drm_atomic_helper_crtc_state_init(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_crtc_reset(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_crtc_reset(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_crtc_create_state(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_crtc_duplicate_state(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_crtc_duplicate_state(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_crtc_destroy_state(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_crtc_destroy_state(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_plane_state_init(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_plane_reset(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_plane_reset(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_plane_create_state(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_plane_duplicate_state(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_plane_duplicate_state(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_plane_destroy_state(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_plane_destroy_state(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_connector_state_init(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_connector_reset(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_connector_reset(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_connector_create_state(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_connector_tv_margins_reset(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_connector_tv_reset(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_connector_tv_check(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_connector_duplicate_state(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_connector_duplicate_state(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_connector_destroy_state(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_connector_destroy_state(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_private_obj_create_state(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_private_obj_duplicate_state(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_bridge_duplicate_state(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_bridge_duplicate_state(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_bridge_destroy_state(9)
• __drm_atomic_helper_bridge_state_init(9)
• drm_atomic_helper_bridge_create_state(9)

And that's the page, periodt 💅 Sign-off tea: this one comes from ./drivers/gpu/drm, dated October 2026, under the very long and iconic name atomic stat...itialization(9). byeee 🫶✨