device_cache_fw_images(9)

🎀 device_cache_fw_images — yeah that's the name, bestie 🎀

Ok so real quick — this page lives in the Kernel API Manual, and it's about one tiny little function that does something genuinely iconic. Let's get into it 💅

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✨ NAME ✨

device_cache_fw_images — caches the devices' firmware, fr fr 🧚

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

void device_cache_fw_images (void );

Like, that's the whole signature. Copy it exactly, ok? Yes, there's a space before that last ). It's giving quirky but we respect it 🫶

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• void — no arguments. none. zero. it takes absolutely nothing and honestly? main character energy of it 🌈

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

So here's the vibe check 👑

If one device called request_firmware — or its nowait version — and it successfully worked before, then the firmware names get recored into the device's devres link list. (Yes, "recored" — that's how it's spelled on the page, don't come for me 🙈)

Which means device_cache_fw_images can go ahead and call cache_firmware to cache these firmwares for the device. Iconic. Obsessed. 🎀

And then? The device driver can load its firmwares easily at the time when the system is not ready to complete loading firmware. Like, it's the "prep ahead of time so future-you doesn't panic" function. Lowkey genius, highkey useful ✨

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

Go read these next, bestie — in this exact order, no skipping 💜

• Kernel file ./drivers/base/firmware_loader/main.c
• request_firmware(9)
• firmware_request_nowarn(9)
• request_firmware_direct(9)
• firmware_request_platform(9)
• firmware_request_cache(9)
• request_firmware_into_buf(9)
• request_partial_firmware_into_buf(9)
• release_firmware(9)
• request_firmware_nowait(9)
• firmware_request_nowait_nowarn(9)
• request_firmware_nowait_cancel(9)
• cache_firmware(9)
• uncache_firmware(9)
• device_uncache_fw_images(9)
• device_uncache_fw_images_delay(9)

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ngl that's a whole lot of firmware functions. but you're built different, you got this 💪

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okay that's the whole page!! mwah 💋 shoutout to ./drivers/base/firmware_loader for hosting this little legend, and a big slay to October 2026 for the date stamp — see u in the next manpage, bestie 🍓👑