free_percpu(9)

💖 free_percpu(9) 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the free_percpu page from the Kernel API Manual — she's short, she's sweet, and she's literally the cleanup queen of percpu memory ✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

free_percpu — free percpu area 🫶

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

void free_percpu (void __percpu *ptr );

that's it. one function, one pointer, zero drama 💅

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• ptr — pointer to the area you wanna free, bestie 🧹 hand over the percpu pointer and she'll take care of the rest

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

Free percpu area ptr. that's the whole vibe — you give her ptr, she frees the percpu area it points to. no cap, that's literally it 🌈

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⭐ CONTEXT ⭐

Can be called from atomic context 🔥 so yes, she's flexible like that — atomic context is not a problem, she ate and left no crumbs 👑

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💜 SEE ALSO 💜

Kernel file ./mm/percpu.c and her whole friend group:

• pcpu_addr_in_chunk(9)
• pcpu_check_block_hint(9)
• pcpu_next_md_free_region(9)
• pcpu_next_fit_region(9)
• pcpu_mem_zalloc(9)
• pcpu_mem_free(9)
• pcpu_chunk_relocate(9)
• pcpu_block_update(9)
• pcpu_chunk_refresh_hint(9)
• pcpu_block_refresh_hint(9)
• pcpu_block_update_hint_alloc(9)
• pcpu_block_update_hint_free(9)
• pcpu_is_populated(9)
• pcpu_find_block_fit(9)
• pcpu_alloc_area(9)
• pcpu_free_area(9)
• pcpu_alloc_first_chunk(9)
• pcpu_chunk_populated(9)
• pcpu_chunk_depopulated(9)
• pcpu_chunk_addr_search(9)
• pcpu_alloc(9)
• pcpu_balance_free(9)
• pcpu_balance_populated(9)
• pcpu_reclaim_populated(9)
• pcpu_balance_workfn(9)
• is_kernel_percpu_address(9)
• per_cpu_ptr_to_phys(9)
• pcpu_alloc_alloc_info(9)
• pcpu_free_alloc_info(9)
• pcpu_dump_alloc_info(9)
• pcpu_setup_first_chunk(9)
• pcpu_build_alloc_info(9)
• pcpu_embed_first_chunk(9)
• pcpu_page_first_chunk(9)

like, the whole percpu extended universe is right there — go read, iykyk 😭💖

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ngl the synopsis is giving "tiny but mighty" — don't let the one-liner fool you, freeing percpu stuff is important and she's iconic for it 🎀

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and that's the page, bestie!! brought to you by the kernel API manual, source ./mm, dated October 2026 — mwah, slay, periodt 💅💖✨