disk_release(9)

💅 disk_release(9)

okay so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual bestie, and it's literally all about disk_release — the little cleanup queen of the gendisk world. let's get into it 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

disk_release — releases all allocated resources of the gendisk. she's the one who closes the tab, empties the fridge and turns off the lights on her way out. no cap. 🧹

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

void disk_release (struct device *dev );

that's it. that's the whole vibe check. 💅

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✨ ARGUMENTS ✨

• dev — the device representing this disk 🫶 like, this is the actual thing you're handing over so she knows which disk's stuff needs releasing.

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✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

so, disk_release releases all allocated resources of the gendisk. all of them. every single one. she does not leave crumbs. 💀

now here's the lore for drivers that used device_add_disk: ngl, those drivers have a gendisk with a request_queue assigned to it. and because the request_queue sits on top of the gendisk for these drivers, we also call blk_put_queue for them. 👑

and bestie, we expect the request_queue refcount to reach 0 at this point — like, that's the whole point — so the request_queue will also be freed prior to the disk. order matters, that's the tea. 🍓

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✨ CONTEXT ✨

• can sleep 😴

so yeah, she's allowed to nap. you do not have to hold your breath here. 🦋

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✨ SEE ALSO ✨

all the siblings and adjacent icons, in the kernel file ./block/genhd.c:

• bdev_count_inflight(9)
• __register_blkdev(9)
• add_disk_fwnode(9)
• device_add_disk(9)
• blk_mark_disk_dead(9)
• del_gendisk(9)
• invalidate_disk(9)
• put_disk(9)
• set_disk_ro(9)

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okay that's the page! huge shoutout to the ./block directory and to October 2026 for the timestamp — this one's from the Kernel API Manual, and honestly? iconic. periodt. 🌈👑💖