ENUM FREEZE_HOLDER(9)

💅 enum freeze_holder (9) — Kernel API Manual

okay bestie, buckle up, because today we're learning about enum freeze_holder, which is exactly what it sounds like: the holder of the freeze 🧊👑

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✨ NAME ✨

enum freeze_holder — holder of the freeze

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

enum freeze_holder {
    FREEZE_HOLDER_KERNEL ,
    FREEZE_HOLDER_USERSPACE ,
    FREEZE_MAY_NEST ,
    FREEZE_EXCL

};

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🌸 CONSTANTS 🌸

• FREEZE_HOLDER_KERNEL — the kernel is the one who wants to freeze or thaw the filesystem 🔥
• FREEZE_HOLDER_USERSPACE — no, it's userspace who wants to freeze or thaw the filesystem 🙋‍♀️
• FREEZE_MAY_NEST — says whether nesting freeze and thaw requests is allowed 🪆
• FREEZE_EXCL — a freeze that can only be undone by the owner 👑 (very exclusive, very main character energy)

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

So this whole enum is basically a little name tag 🏷️ — it tells you who the owner of the freeze or thaw request is, and whether that freeze needs to be exclusive or if it's allowed to nest.

Here's the tea: without FREEZE_MAY_NEST, multiple freeze and thaw requests from the same holder aren't allowed. nope. not happening. 🙅‍♀️

But — and this is the cute part — it is allowed to hold a single FREEZE_HOLDER_USERSPACE and a single FREEZE_HOLDER_KERNEL freeze at the same time. the way that works out 💖 some filesystems literally rely on this during online repair or similar. so yeah, it's giving teamwork, it's giving coexistence, periodt. ✨

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

Kernel file ./include/linux/fs/super_types.h

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ngl, that's the whole page — short, sweet, and honestly iconic 💀💅

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made with love from ./include/linux/fs, October 2026 — mwah, go forth and freeze responsibly 🫶🌸