hwspin_lock_timeout_raw(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 hwspin_lock_timeout_raw(9) 💅

okay so this page is from the Kernel API Manual and it's all about hwspin_lock_timeout_raw — like, the whole page, bestie. buckle up 🎀

✨ NAME ✨

hwspin_lock_timeout_raw — lock an hwspinlock, but with a timeout limit so you're not stuck waiting forever 💀

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int hwspin_lock_timeout_raw (struct hwspinlock *hwlock , unsigned int to );

that's the whole vibe. takes a lock pointer and a timeout number, gives you back an int. 🫶

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

  • hwlock — the hwspinlock that's about to get locked. this is the main character of the operation ngl 👑
  • to — the timeout value, measured in msecs. that's your patience budget, bestie ⏳

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so what this function does is lock the underlying hwlock. simple enough.

but here's the tea: if the hwlock is already taken, this function will busy loop, just sitting there waiting for it to be released — like refreshing the group chat — but it gives up once timeout msecs have elapsed. no cap, it literally spins and then bails ✨

⚠️ Caution: the user must protect the routine of getting the hardware lock with a mutex or spinlock to avoid dead-lock. doing that is what lets the user do some time-consuming or sleepable operations under the hardware lock. don't skip this part, i'm begging 🙈

Returns 0 when the hwlock was successfully taken, and an appropriate error code otherwise — most notably an -ETIMEDOUT if the hwlock is still busy after timeout msecs. and the function will never sleep. not even a little nap. zero sleep. periodt 💅

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Kernel file ./include/linux/hwspinlock.h — and honestly the whole hwspinlock friend group shows up here, iykyk:

and that's the page!! 🍓 it lives in ./include/linux, dated October 2026 — so like, future iconic. go lock your hardware, bestie, responsibly 💜🔥

📦 where this page comes from