nfs_inode_at...ct_monotonic(9)

💅 nfs_inode_attrs_cmp_strict_monotonic(9) — the kernel API manual, but make it cute

okay so bestie, this one's from the Kernel API Manual and the page is literally called nfs_inode_at...ct_monotonic(9) (they truncated it, iconic of them honestly). Buckle up, we're comparing NFS attributes and it's giving very much "who got here first" energy 🕵️‍♀️✨

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🌸 NAME 🌸

nfs_inode_attrs_cmp_strict_monotonic — compare attributes. that's it, that's the whole name. short, sweet, slays 💅

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✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

int nfs_inode_attrs_cmp_strict_monotonic (const struct nfs_fattr *fattr
, const struct inode *inode );

like, it takes two things and gives you back an int. simple as that 🫶

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• fattr — attributes. the fresh-lookin' ones 👀
• inode — pointer to inode. the one we're comparing against 🦋

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🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

so the whole vibe here? we're trying to divine — yes, literally divine, mystical fortune-teller style 🔮 — whether or not an RPC call reply that's carrying stale attributes ended up getting scheduled after another call that was carrying updated ones. messy scheduling behavior, we've all been there 😭

here's the assumption we're rolling with, no cap: the server observes strictly monotonic semantics for the change attribute. so a larger value means the attributes in fattr are more recent — and in that case, the function returns the value 1 🎉 slay, fresh data wins.

but a return value of -1? that means the attributes in inode are more recent or unchanged. so like, don't come for inode unless you brought receipts 💀

fr fr, those two return values are 1 and -1 — memorize them, they're the whole personality of this function 🧚

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

Kernel file ./fs/nfs/inode.c, plus this whole little friend group of functions that lowkey all know each other:

• nfs_sync_mapping(9)
• nfs_vmtruncate(9)
• nfs_setattr_update_inode(9)
• nfs_close_context(9)
• nfs_revalidate_inode(9)
• nfs_clear_invalid_mapping(9)
• nfs_revalidate_mapping(9)
• nfs_check_inode_attributes(9)
• nfs_fattr_set_barrier(9)
• nfs_inode_attrs_cmp_generic(9)
• nfs_inode_attrs_cmp_monotonic(9)
• nfs_inode_attrs_cmp(9)
• nfs_inode_finish_partial_attr_update(9)
• nfs_refresh_inode(9)
• nfs_post_op_update_inode(9)
• nfs_post_op_update_inode_force_wcc_locked(9)
• nfs_post_op_update_inode_force_wcc(9)

like, the whole squad. iykyk 👑

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and that's the page, bestie 🫶 this one came out of ./fs/nfs and it's dated October 2026, and the manual itself insists on calling it nfs_inode_at...ct_monotonic(9) — truncated title and all, we respect the aesthetic 💖 bye, go compare some attributes responsibly ✨🎀🦋