atomic_long_dec_and_test(9)

💅 atomic_long_dec_and_test — the kernel API manual, bestie edition

okay so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual (that's the section 9 crowd, the function-reference girlies), and today's main character is atomic_long_dec_and_test. She decrements. She tests. She does it atomically. Let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

atomic_long_dec_and_test — atomic decrement and test if zero with full ordering

like, she subtracts one and then peeks at whether you hit zero, and she does the whole thing as one unbothered atomic moment. full ordering included, no cap 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

bool atomic_long_dec_and_test (atomic_long_t *v );

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• v — pointer to atomic_long_t. that's it, that's the whole argument list. she's low maintenance ✨

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Atomically updates v to (v - 1) with full ordering.

so picture it: v goes down by exactly one, and literally nobody else can sneak in and mess with it mid-decrement. and the "full ordering" part means she's not doing any shady reordering behind your back — everything's ordered, properly, like a well-organized closet 🧚

⚠️ Unsafe to use in noinstr code — use raw_atomic_long_dec_and_test there instead. fr fr, don't do it, that's the whole warning 😭

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⭐ RETURN ⭐

Returns true if the resulting value of v is zero, and false otherwise.

so like — did we land on zero? true, slay, iconic. did we not? false, also fine, try again next decrement 💖

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

bestie. the reading list is long. but we do not skip pages in this house. the kernel file is ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h, and here's the entire squad, in order, no edits, no shortcuts:

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_and(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_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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and that's the whole page! 💜 this one lives in ./include/linux/atomic, and it's dated October 2026 — like, the manual itself is from the future and she's still out here decrementing. obsessed. mwah, go read some more kernel docs bestie 🍓💖