drm_client_release(9)

💖 drm_client_release(9) — Kernel API Manual 💖

hiii bestie!! welcome to the drm_client_release(9) page in the Kernel API Manual. This is the DRM client cleanup function, and yes, it’s giving responsible main character energy. Let’s get into it.

✨ NAME ✨

drm_client_release — Release DRM client resources

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

void drm_client_release (struct drm_client_dev *client );

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• client — DRM client. That’s the client you’re releasing, bestie.

💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

okay so what it does: it releases resources by closing the drm_file that was opened by drm_client_init. Literally cleanup era.

It is called automatically if the drm_client_funcs.unregister callback is not set. So if that callback isn’t set, it gets called automatically — iykyk.

This function should only be called from the unregister callback. Like, that’s the rule. An exception is fbdev, which cannot free the buffer if userspace has open file descriptors. So fbdev is the special-case bestie here.

🚨 NOTE 🚨

Big note, no cap: clients cannot initiate a release by themselves. This is done to keep the code simple. The driver has to be unloaded before the client can be unloaded. Periodt.

🔗 SEE ALSO 🔗

• Kernel file ./drivers/gpu/drm/drm_client.c overview(9)
• drm_client_init(9)
• drm_client_register(9)
• drm_client_buffer_delete(9)
• drm_client_buffer_vmap_local(9)
• drm_client_buffer_vunmap_local(9)
• drm_client_buffer_vmap(9)
• drm_client_buffer_vunmap(9)
• drm_client_buffer_create_dumb(9)
• drm_client_buffer_flush(9)

xoxo bestie, this page came from the ./drivers/gpu/drm source tree, dated October 2026 — drm_client_release(9) out 💖🫶