ktime_get_seconds(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 ktime_get_seconds — the manual page, but make it a group chat

okay so bestie, welcome to the kernel API manual for ktime_get_seconds(9) 🌸 this one's a little legend and honestly kind of a comfort function. let's get into it.

✨ NAME ✨

ktime_get_seconds — get the seconds portion of CLOCK_MONOTONIC ⏰ no cap, that's the whole personality.

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

time64_t ktime_get_seconds (void );

that's it. that's the whole call. she takes nothing and gives you a time64_t. icon behavior fr fr 👑

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

  • void — no arguments. zero. none. she doesn't need anything from you, she's lowkey self-sufficient like that 💅

🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

So what does she actually do? She returns the seconds portion of CLOCK_MONOTONIC — with a single non serialized read. like, one read, no locking drama, no queue, just vibes and a timestamp 🫶

The way this works is tk->ktime_sec is of type unsigned long, which is the real MVP here because it means this works on both 32 and 64 bit systems ✨ highkey elegant.

And on 32 bit systems? the readout covers ~136 years of uptime — which, bestie, should be enough to prevent premature wrap arounds 😭 like genuinely who's gonna be running that box in 136 years. she thought ahead. main character energy.

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

okay this is the part where the kernel flexes her whole friend group 💖 literally everyone shows up to this party, and honestly? obsessed. here's the full guest list (all from the kernel file ./kernel/time/timekeeping.c, tyvm):

go read them all, iykyk 🧚✨

bestie note: the readout here covers ~136 years on 32 bit — that's the premature wrap-around protection, so like... don't stress about it, but also know the limit exists. periodt 💀

and that's the whole page! 🌟 brought to you by the kernel file ./kernel/time, dated October 2026, and signed off as ktime_get_seconds(9) — stay monotonic, bestie, mwah 🍓💜🎀

📦 where this page comes from