inode_dio_wait(9)

💅 inode_dio_wait — Kernel API Manual (yes bestie, the kernel API manual)

okay so picture this: you're in the kernel, in inode_dio_wait(9), and your whole personality for the next however-long is waiting. iconic honestly. this one's from the Kernel API Manual and she's short but she ATE. 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

inode_dio_wait — wait for outstanding DIO requests to finish 🦋

like literally just sit there and let the direct I/O girlies finish their thing bestie.

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

void inode_dio_wait (struct inode *inode );

no cap, that's the whole signature. returns nothing. void. she gives nothing and that's the point 💅

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🫶 ARGUMENTS 🫶

• inode — the inode to wait for. that's it. that's the argument. she's the main character of this function and you're just here for the ride ✨

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

Waits for all pending direct I/O requests to finish so that we can proceed with a truncate or equivalent operation. fr fr, it's the "everyone out of the pool before we drain it" of the kernel 😭

Must be called under a lock that serializes taking new references to i_dio_count, usually by inode->i_rwsem.

🚨 okay this is the part where you pay attention bestie — the lock thing is not a vibe suggestion. It's a must. You need to already be holding a lock that serializes taking new references to i_dio_count, and the usual suspect is inode->i_rwsem. Don't skip this, iykyk. 🙈

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

the whole friend group, honestly. Kernel file ./fs/inode.c and like everyone she's ever been in a group chat with:

• inode_init_always_gfp(9)
• alloc_inode(9)
• drop_nlink(9)
• clear_nlink(9)
• set_nlink(9)
• inc_nlink(9)
• inode_sb_list_add(9)
• __insert_inode_hash(9)
• __remove_inode_hash(9)
• evict_inodes(9)
• new_inode(9)
• unlock_new_inode(9)
• lock_two_nondirectories(9)
• unlock_two_nondirectories(9)
• inode_insert5(9)
• iget5_locked(9)
• iget5_locked_rcu(9)
• iget_locked(9)
• iunique(9)
• ihold(9)
• ilookup5_nowait(9)
• ilookup5(9)
• ilookup(9)
• find_inode_nowait(9)
• find_inode_rcu(9)
• find_inode_by_ino_rcu(9)
• iput(9)
• iput_not_last(9)
• bmap(9)
• inode_update_time(9)
• generic_update_time(9)
• atime_needs_update(9)
• file_remove_privs(9)
• current_time(9)
• file_update_time(9)
• file_modified_flags(9)
• file_modified(9)
• kiocb_modified(9)
• inode_init_owner(9)
• inode_owner_or_capable(9)
• timestamp_truncate(9)
• inode_set_ctime_current(9)
• inode_set_ctime_deleg(9)
• in_group_or_capable(9)
• mode_strip_sgid(9)
• dump_inode(9)

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and that's the page!! short, sweet, and absolutely not to be called without your lock held 💀 stay safe out there and slay your truncates 🧚

💖 sign-off time 💖 this little masterpiece came out of ./fs and is dated October 2026, so yes she's a Libra (or Scorpio, depends on the day, don't @ me). go read inode_dio_wait(9)'s friends now bestie, ily 🍓✨