kmemdup_array(9)

💅 kmemdup_array — Kernel API Manual, bestie edition ✨

okay so real talk, this one's from the Kernel API Manual and it's literally called kmemdup_array(9) — say that five times fast 🫶 it's giving "copy my whole array, please" and honestly? iconic.

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✨ NAME ✨

kmemdup_array — duplicate a given array. that's it. that's the whole vibe. copy, paste, slay 💅

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

void * kmemdup_array (const void *src , size_t count , size_t
       element_size , gfp_t gfp );

like, look at her. four lil arguments and a void * return. main character energy fr fr ✨

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🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

• src — the array you wanna duplicate. the original. the blueprint. the source material, if you will 💖
• count — how many elements you're copying out of that array. yes, you gotta say the number, no mind-reading allowed 🙈
• element_size — the size of each element in the array. because the kernel needs to know how chunky each lil guy is 🧚
• gfp — the GFP mask to use. that's the allocation-flags situation, iykyk 🦋

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🔥 RETURN 🔥

you get back the duplicated array of src — or NULL if something went sideways (error vibes 😭). and heads up bestie, the result is physically contiguous, no cap. when you're done with it, hit it with kfree to free it. don't forget. please. 🫶

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💜 SEE ALSO 💜

Kernel file ./mm/util.c — that's where the magic lives, go read it 🎀

then the whole friend group:

• kfree_const(9)
• __kmemdup_nul(9)
• kstrdup(9)
• kstrdup_const(9)
• kstrndup(9)
• kmemdup(9)
• kvmemdup(9)
• kmemdup_nul(9)
• memdup_user(9)
• vmemdup_user(9)
• strndup_user(9)
• memdup_user_nul(9)
• randomize_page(9)
• __account_locked_vm(9)
• account_locked_vm(9)
• __vmalloc_array(9)
• vmalloc_array(9)
• __vcalloc(9)
• vcalloc(9)
• folio_mapping(9)
• folio_copy(9)
• get_cmdline(9)
• mem_dump_obj(9)
• compat_set_desc_from_vma(9)
• __compat_vma_mmap(9)
• compat_vma_mmap(9)
• snapshot_page(9)
• mmap_action_prepare(9)
• mmap_action_complete(9)
• folio_pte_batch(9)
• page_range_contiguous(9)

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and that's the whole page, no notes 💅

cute lil sign-off: this one lives under ./mm and it's dated October 2026 — so yeah, she's from the future, we stan a forward-thinking queen 👑🌈

periodt. 🦋✨