drm_gem_dmabuf_export(9)

💅 drm_gem_dmabuf_export(9) — like, the Kernel API Manual page, bestie

okay so this is drm_gem_dmabuf_export, straight out of the Kernel API Manual, and it's lowkey the glue that makes GEM buffers escape into dmabuf land ✨

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✨ NAME ✨

drm_gem_dmabuf_export — the &dma_buf export implementation for GEM, no cap 🎀

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

struct dma_buf * drm_gem_dmabuf_export (struct drm_device *dev , struct
dma_buf_export_info *exp_info );

like, that's the whole signature. she's short, she's iconic, she does exactly one thing 👑

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🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

• dev — the parent device for the exported dmabuf 🫶 like, the actual grown-up device this thing belongs to.
• exp_info — the export information used by dma_buf_export 💖 everything else she needs to know lives in here.

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🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

okay so picture this: this function wraps dma_buf_export for generic GEM drivers that are using drm_gem_dmabuf_release. it's giving "convenience wrapper, but make it safe" 💅

and it's not just calling dma_buf_export and dipping — nope, not her. in addition to calling dma_buf_export, we take a reference to the drm_device and to the exported drm_gem_object (which is stored in dma_buf_export_info.priv). those refs get released by drm_gem_dmabuf_release later, so the lifetime rules actually hold together. main character energy for real ✨

and the return value? returns the new dmabuf. slay 🎀

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

bestie go read these, i'm literally begging:

• the Kernel file ./drivers/gpu/drm/drm_prime.c overview and lifetime rules(9) — start here fr fr
• drm_gem_dmabuf_release(9)
• drm_gem_prime_fd_to_handle(9)
• drm_gem_prime_handle_to_dmabuf(9)
• drm_gem_prime_handle_to_fd(9)
• PRIME Helpers(9)
• drm_gem_map_attach(9)
• drm_gem_map_detach(9)
• drm_gem_map_dma_buf(9)
• drm_gem_unmap_dma_buf(9)
• drm_gem_dmabuf_vmap(9)
• drm_gem_dmabuf_vunmap(9)
• drm_gem_prime_mmap(9)
• drm_gem_dmabuf_mmap(9)
• drm_prime_pages_to_sg(9)
• drm_prime_get_contiguous_size(9)
• drm_gem_prime_export(9)
• drm_gem_is_prime_exported_dma_buf(9)
• drm_gem_prime_import_dev(9)
• drm_gem_prime_import(9)
• drm_prime_sg_to_page_array(9)
• drm_prime_sg_to_dma_addr_array(9)
• drm_prime_gem_destroy(9)

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okay that's the page!! 💜 it lives under ./drivers/gpu/drm, it's dated October 2026, and it is absolutely still drm_gem_dmabuf_export(9) — mwah, go export some buffers responsibly 🧚‍♀️💖