cifs_backup_query_path_info(9)

💅 cifs_backup_query_path_info(9) — the kernel API manual, but make it make sense

okay bestie, welcome to the cifs_backup_query_path_info page from the kernel API manual ✨ this one's a little helper function living its best life in the CIFS/SMB client code, and honestly? it's giving "backup plan energy" and we love that for it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

cifs_backup_query_path_info — the SMB1 fallback code that goes and gets your ino 🔥

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int cifs_backup_query_path_info (int xid , struct cifs_tcon *tcon ,
struct super_block *sb , const char *full_path , void **resp_buf ,
FILE_ALL_INFO **data );

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

so there are like, a whole squad of parameters here, let's meet them 💖

• xid — the transaction id, aka the little name tag that lets the original request be identified in logs. it's how we find our girl in the crowd, iykyk 🌈
• tcon — all the info about the server share we've got mounted. yes, that's a thing we keep around, it's important 💅
• sb — the superblock, which stores stuff like how much disk space is available. lowkey the vibe keeper of the whole filesystem 🦋
• full_path — the name of the file we're pulling metadata for. the actual star of the show, the main character ✨
• resp_buf — this one gets set to the cifs resp buf, and heads up: it needs to be freed with cifs_buf_release when you're done with data. not me reminding you to clean up after yourself 😭 please free your buffers bestie
• data — gets set to the search info result buffer. that's where the good stuff lands 🎁

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💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

so basically this is the fallback code: it gets the file metadata for you when we don't have access to full_path (that's EACCES, bestie, the classic "permission denied" moment 😔) and we have backup creds. so like, when the front door's locked, we use the backup key 🔑 slay

no cap, this is a fallback path — it exists specifically for the EACCES + backup creds situation, so don't come crying to it when everything's fine 🙈

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🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

• Kernel file ./fs/smb/client/inode.c — go read it, it's right there 💖
• cifs_wait_bit_killable(9) — another one from the neighborhood, say hi 👋

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and that's the whole page, periodt. 💫 this little icon came to us courtesy of ./fs/smb/client, in the October 2026 edition of the docs — mwah, tysm for reading, ily, go free your buffers 🎀💜