driver_probe_device(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💖 driver_probe_device(9) 💖

straight up from the Kernel API Manual 🌸 — this is the lil matchmaker that tries to bind a device & driver together. bestie, it's giving "will they? won't they?" but in kernel space 💅.

🌸 NAME 🌸

driver_probe_device — attempt to bind device & driver together. no cap, that's literally the mission.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

here's the signature, untouched because we do not edit code with vibes:

int driver_probe_device (const struct device_driver *drv , struct device
       *dev );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • drv — the driver to bind a device to. driver side of the pair-up.
  • dev — the device to try to bind to the driver. the other half of the ship.

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

okay so the return values are the whole plot, and they are iconic: this function returns -ENODEV if the device is not registered, -EBUSY if it already has a driver, 0 if the device is bound successfully, and a positive (inverted) error code for failures from the ->probe method. yes, positive and inverted — don't let that confuse you, bestie 🫶.

the lock situation is not optional 🚨: this function must be called with dev lock held. when it's called for a USB interface, dev->parent lock must be held as well. both. no skipping. periodt.

if the device has a parent, runtime-resume the parent before driver probing. parent gets a little main character wake-up first, iykyk ✨.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

the kernel file is ./drivers/base/dd.c, and the whole SEE ALSO friend group is right here:

and that's the page, bestie 🫶 source/version tea: ./drivers/base; date tea: October 2026; and yes, this is driver_probe_device(9) signing off with a sparkle 💖✨

📦 where this page comes from