dma_buf_pin(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💖 dma_buf_pin(9) 💖

okay so bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual — yes that's the manual name, we're being official for like two seconds — and today's main character is dma_buf_pin. It locks down a DMA-buf. That's it. That's the vibe. 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

dma_buf_pin — lock down the DMA-buf, no cap 🔒

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int dma_buf_pin(struct dma_buf_attachment *attach);

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

  • attach [in] — the attachment that should be pinned. literally the whole point, she's the one getting locked down 🫶

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

okay so listen, this is exclusive. Only dynamic importers may call this — and by dynamic importers I mean the ones who set up attach with dma_buf_dynamic_attach. If that's not you, this is not your function, periodt. 💀

And even if you are a dynamic importer, this is for limited use cases — like scanout. Not for temporary pin operations. like, temporary pinning? different thing, not this, don't try it here. 🙈

Also, and this is important, bestie: it is not permitted to let userspace pin arbitrary amounts of buffers through this interface. Arbitrary amounts? no ma'am. that's a hard no. put it down. 🌈

And when you're done pinning — and you will be done eventually — the buffers must be unpinned by calling dma_buf_unpin. it's giving "clean up after yourself" energy and honestly? iconic. ✨

👑 RETURN 👑

  • 0 on success 🎉
  • a negative error code on failure 😭

🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

the whole friend group, fr fr. kernel file ./drivers/dma-buf/dma-buf.c plus:

that's the whole page, bestie, u ate that 💅✨

and before u go — cute sign-off time 🎀 this one lives at ./drivers/dma-buf, it's stamped October 2026, and it's filed under dma_buf_pin(9) in the Kernel API Manual. mwah, go pin something responsibly 🫶💖

📦 where this page comes from