inode_init_owner(9)

💅 inode_init_owner — like, the kernel API manual edition 🎀

okay so bestie, this is inode_init_owner(9) straight out of the Kernel API Manual, and it's the function that sets up a brand-new inode's uid, gid, and mode the way POSIX says you should. no cap, it's a small function with big main character energy. ✨

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💖 SYNOPSIS

void inode_init_owner (struct mnt_idmap *idmap , struct inode *inode ,
const struct inode *dir , umode_t mode );

that's the whole signature, fr fr. four params, one void return, zero drama. 🫶

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🌸 ARGUMENTS

• idmap — the idmap of the mount that this inode was created from. yes, that idmap. 👀
• inode — the new inode, freshly born, needs its identity set. it's giving newborn era. 🍼
• dir — the directory inode. the parent. the one who raised it. 😭
• mode — the mode of the new inode. the vibe check of file permissions, basically. 💅

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🦋 DESCRIPTION

okay so here's the tea 🍓: if the inode was created through an idmapped mount, you have to pass the vfsmount's idmap through idmap. like, non-negotiable. then this function will take care of mapping the inode according to idmap before it goes and checks permissions and initializes i_uid and i_gid. nobody skips the mapping step on its watch. 💯

and if you're on non-idmapped mounts? or if permission checking is supposed to happen on the raw inode? then just pass nop_mnt_idmap and keep it moving, bestie. 🙈

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🧚 SEE ALSO

literally the entire inode cinematic universe, all in ./fs/inode.c under Kernel file — go read them all, i'm obsessed:

• 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_owner_or_capable(9)
• inode_dio_wait(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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💀 reminder that this page lives in ./fs and is dated October 2026 — so like, mark your calendar bestie, that's the versioning era we're in. 🌈

and that's the whole page!! mwah 💋 stay hydrated, pass your idmaps correctly, and remember: nop_mnt_idmap is your bestie when there's no idmapped mount in sight. 🎀✨💜