atomic_and(9)

💅 atomic_and(9) — atomic bitwise AND, but make it relaxed

okay so real talk, bestie — this page is from the Kernel API Manual, section 9, and it's about one tiny little function that does one tiny little thing very, very safely. no cap. let's get into it 💖

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✨ NAME ✨

atomic_and — atomic bitwise AND with relaxed ordering

like, it ANDs stuff. atomically. with relaxed ordering. that's the whole personality, and honestly? iconic. 🎀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

void atomic_and (int i , atomic_t *v );

look at her. short. sweet. void return, so don't go looking for a result, she's not giving you one 🫶

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• i — an int value. this is the thing you're ANDing with. your mask, your little bit-pattern bestie 💫
• v — pointer to atomic_t. this is the variable that's gonna get updated. she's the main character here 👑

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🍓 DESCRIPTION 🍓

so what actually happens: it atomically updates v to (v & i) with relaxed ordering. that's it. that's the whole tea. ☕

the "atomically" part means nobody else can catch v mid-update and see some cursed half-finished value — it's all-or-nothing, no messy in-between states 🙈

the "relaxed ordering" part is literally in the name — that's not me being casual, that's the actual documented ordering. so don't go reading extra synchronization guarantees into it, bestie, that's not what she said 💀

⚠️ important, fr fr: this one is unsafe to use in noinstr code. if you're in noinstr, use raw_atomic_and there instead. do not skip this. your kernel will not be cute about it 😭

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👑 RETURN 👑

Nothing.

literally nothing. she's void. she does the work and leaves. main character energy, zero follow-up 🌈💅

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

the kernel file to check out is ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h, and here's the entire friend group chat, in the order the manual gives them — every single one, no skipping, we don't do that here 💜:

atomic_read(9), atomic_read_acquire(9), atomic_set(9), atomic_set_release(9),
atomic_add(9), atomic_add_return(9), atomic_add_return_acquire(9),
atomic_add_return_release(9), atomic_add_return_relaxed(9),
atomic_fetch_add(9), atomic_fetch_add_acquire(9),
atomic_fetch_add_release(9), atomic_fetch_add_relaxed(9), atomic_sub(9),
atomic_sub_return(9), atomic_sub_return_acquire(9),
atomic_sub_return_release(9), atomic_sub_return_relaxed(9),
atomic_fetch_sub(9), atomic_fetch_sub_acquire(9),
atomic_fetch_sub_release(9), atomic_fetch_sub_relaxed(9), atomic_inc(9),
atomic_inc_return(9), atomic_inc_return_acquire(9),
atomic_inc_return_release(9), atomic_inc_return_relaxed(9),
atomic_fetch_inc(9), atomic_fetch_inc_acquire(9),
atomic_fetch_inc_release(9), atomic_fetch_inc_relaxed(9), atomic_dec(9),
atomic_dec_return(9), atomic_dec_return_acquire(9),
atomic_dec_return_release(9), atomic_dec_return_relaxed(9),
atomic_fetch_dec(9), atomic_fetch_dec_acquire(9),
atomic_fetch_dec_release(9), atomic_fetch_dec_relaxed(9),
atomic_fetch_and(9), atomic_fetch_and_acquire(9),
atomic_fetch_and_release(9), atomic_fetch_and_relaxed(9),
atomic_andnot(9), atomic_fetch_andnot(9),
atomic_fetch_andnot_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_andnot_release(9),
atomic_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), atomic_or(9), atomic_fetch_or(9),
atomic_fetch_or_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_or_release(9),
atomic_fetch_or_relaxed(9), atomic_xor(9), atomic_fetch_xor(9),
atomic_fetch_xor_acquire(9), atomic_fetch_xor_release(9),
atomic_fetch_xor_relaxed(9), atomic_xchg(9), atomic_xchg_acquire(9),
atomic_xchg_release(9), atomic_xchg_relaxed(9), atomic_cmpxchg(9),
atomic_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_cmpxchg_release(9),
atomic_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_try_cmpxchg(9),
atomic_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_try_cmpxchg_release(9),
atomic_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_sub_and_test(9),
atomic_dec_and_test(9), atomic_inc_and_test(9), atomic_add_negative(9),
atomic_add_negative_acquire(9), atomic_add_negative_release(9),
atomic_add_negative_relaxed(9), atomic_fetch_add_unless(9),
atomic_add_unless(9), atomic_inc_not_zero(9),
atomic_inc_unless_negative(9), atomic_dec_unless_positive(9),
atomic_dec_if_positive(9), atomic64_read(9), atomic64_read_acquire(9),
atomic64_set(9), atomic64_set_release(9), atomic64_add(9),
atomic64_add_return(9), atomic64_add_return_acquire(9),
atomic64_add_return_release(9), atomic64_add_return_relaxed(9),
atomic64_fetch_add(9), atomic64_fetch_add_acquire(9),
atomic64_fetch_add_release(9), atomic64_fetch_add_relaxed(9),
atomic64_sub(9), atomic64_sub_return(9), atomic64_sub_return_acquire(9),
atomic64_sub_return_release(9), atomic64_sub_return_relaxed(9),
atomic64_fetch_sub(9), atomic64_fetch_sub_acquire(9),
atomic64_fetch_sub_release(9), atomic64_fetch_sub_relaxed(9),
atomic64_inc(9), atomic64_inc_return(9), atomic64_inc_return_acquire(9),
atomic64_inc_return_release(9), atomic64_inc_return_relaxed(9),
atomic64_fetch_inc(9), atomic64_fetch_inc_acquire(9),
atomic64_fetch_inc_release(9), atomic64_fetch_inc_relaxed(9),
atomic64_dec(9), atomic64_dec_return(9), atomic64_dec_return_acquire(9),
atomic64_dec_return_release(9), atomic64_dec_return_relaxed(9),
atomic64_fetch_dec(9), atomic64_fetch_dec_acquire(9),
atomic64_fetch_dec_release(9), atomic64_fetch_dec_relaxed(9),
atomic64_and(9), atomic64_fetch_and(9), atomic64_fetch_and_acquire(9),
atomic64_fetch_and_release(9), atomic64_fetch_and_relaxed(9),
atomic64_andnot(9), atomic64_fetch_andnot(9),
atomic64_fetch_andnot_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_andnot_release(9),
atomic64_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), atomic64_or(9), atomic64_fetch_or(9),
atomic64_fetch_or_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_or_release(9),
atomic64_fetch_or_relaxed(9), atomic64_xor(9), atomic64_fetch_xor(9),
atomic64_fetch_xor_acquire(9), atomic64_fetch_xor_release(9),
atomic64_fetch_xor_relaxed(9), atomic64_xchg(9),
atomic64_xchg_acquire(9), atomic64_xchg_release(9),
atomic64_xchg_relaxed(9), atomic64_cmpxchg(9),
atomic64_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic64_cmpxchg_release(9),
atomic64_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic64_try_cmpxchg(9),
atomic64_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic64_try_cmpxchg_release(9),
atomic64_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic64_sub_and_test(9),
atomic64_dec_and_test(9), atomic64_inc_and_test(9),
atomic64_add_negative(9), atomic64_add_negative_acquire(9),
atomic64_add_negative_release(9), atomic64_add_negative_relaxed(9),
atomic64_fetch_add_unless(9), atomic64_add_unless(9),
atomic64_inc_not_zero(9), atomic64_inc_unless_negative(9),
atomic64_dec_unless_positive(9), atomic64_dec_if_positive(9),
atomic_long_read(9), atomic_long_read_acquire(9), atomic_long_set(9),
atomic_long_set_release(9), atomic_long_add(9),
atomic_long_add_return(9), atomic_long_add_return_acquire(9),
atomic_long_add_return_release(9), atomic_long_add_return_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_fetch_add(9), atomic_long_fetch_add_acquire(9),
atomic_long_fetch_add_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_add_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_sub(9), atomic_long_sub_return(9),
atomic_long_sub_return_acquire(9), atomic_long_sub_return_release(9),
atomic_long_sub_return_relaxed(9), atomic_long_fetch_sub(9),
atomic_long_fetch_sub_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_sub_release(9),
atomic_long_fetch_sub_relaxed(9), atomic_long_inc(9),
atomic_long_inc_return(9), atomic_long_inc_return_acquire(9),
atomic_long_inc_return_release(9), atomic_long_inc_return_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_fetch_inc(9), atomic_long_fetch_inc_acquire(9),
atomic_long_fetch_inc_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_inc_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_dec(9), atomic_long_dec_return(9),
atomic_long_dec_return_acquire(9), atomic_long_dec_return_release(9),
atomic_long_dec_return_relaxed(9), atomic_long_fetch_dec(9),
atomic_long_fetch_dec_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_dec_release(9),
atomic_long_fetch_dec_relaxed(9), atomic_long_and(9),
atomic_long_fetch_and(9), atomic_long_fetch_and_acquire(9),
atomic_long_fetch_and_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_and_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_andnot(9), atomic_long_fetch_andnot(9),
atomic_long_fetch_andnot_acquire(9),
atomic_long_fetch_andnot_release(9),
atomic_long_fetch_andnot_relaxed(9), atomic_long_or(9),
atomic_long_fetch_or(9), atomic_long_fetch_or_acquire(9),
atomic_long_fetch_or_release(9), atomic_long_fetch_or_relaxed(9),
atomic_long_xor(9), atomic_long_fetch_xor(9),
atomic_long_fetch_xor_acquire(9), atomic_long_fetch_xor_release(9),
atomic_long_fetch_xor_relaxed(9), atomic_long_xchg(9),
atomic_long_xchg_acquire(9), atomic_long_xchg_release(9),
atomic_long_xchg_relaxed(9), atomic_long_cmpxchg(9),
atomic_long_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_long_cmpxchg_release(9),
atomic_long_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_long_try_cmpxchg(9),
atomic_long_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), atomic_long_try_cmpxchg_release(9),
atomic_long_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), atomic_long_sub_and_test(9),
atomic_long_dec_and_test(9), atomic_long_inc_and_test(9),
atomic_long_add_negative(9), atomic_long_add_negative_acquire(9),
atomic_long_add_negative_release(9),
atomic_long_add_negative_relaxed(9), atomic_long_fetch_add_unless(9),
atomic_long_add_unless(9), atomic_long_inc_not_zero(9),
atomic_long_inc_unless_negative(9), atomic_long_dec_unless_positive(9),
atomic_long_dec_if_positive(9)

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that's the whole page, bestie, you ate it 🫶✨ this gem came out of ./include/linux/atomic and it's dated October 2026 — go forth and AND atomically, and pls pls pls remember the noinstr thing 💜🎀