pdcspath_hwpath_write(9)

✨ pdcspath_hwpath_write(9) ✨

okay bestie, buckle up 💅 this is a page from the Kernel API Manual and it's all about pdcspath_hwpath_write — the little function that handles hardware path modifying. yes, that's literally its whole job and honestly? iconic.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

ssize_t pdcspath_hwpath_write (struct pdcspath_entry *entry , const char
*buf , size_t count );

🌸 ARGUMENTS 🌸

• entry — an allocated and populated pdscpath_entry struct. (yes, spelled exactly like that in the original, no cap — don't come for me 🙈)
• buf — the input buffer we're reading from, the little source of truth 📥
• count — how many bytes are gonna be read, fr fr

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so the way this works: we call this function when we want to change the current hardware path. simple as that, main character energy only ✨

hardware paths have to be given '/'-delimited, without brackets. write that down 📝

now here's the vibe check part — we do make sure the provided path actually maps to an existing device, BUT 😭 nothing would stop some foolish user from setting the path to some PCI bridge or even a CPU... like, why would you do that. we can't stop you.

a better work around would be to make sure we're at the end of a device tree for instance, but that would be IMHO beyond the simple scope of that driver. the whole aim here is to provide a facility — data correctness is left to userland, bestie. we hand you the tool, you don't hurt yourself with it 🫶

lowkey a "we provide the facility, you provide the common sense" situation 💀

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

kernel file ./drivers/parisc/pdc_stable.c and all these lovelies:

• pdcspath_fetch(9)
• pdcspath_store(9)
• pdcspath_hwpath_read(9)
• pdcspath_layer_read(9)
• pdcspath_layer_write(9)
• pdcspath_attr_show(9)
• pdcspath_attr_store(9)
• pdcs_size_read(9)
• pdcs_auto_read(9)
• pdcs_autoboot_read(9)
• pdcs_autosearch_read(9)
• pdcs_timer_read(9)
• pdcs_osid_read(9)
• pdcs_osdep1_read(9)
• pdcs_diagnostic_read(9)
• pdcs_fastsize_read(9)
• pdcs_osdep2_read(9)
• pdcs_auto_write(9)
• pdcs_autoboot_write(9)
• pdcs_autosearch_write(9)
• pdcs_osdep1_write(9)
• pdcs_osdep2_write(9)
• pdcs_register_pathentries(9)
• pdcs_unregister_pathentries(9)

that's the whole page, and honestly it ate 🌈 this one lives over in ./drivers/parisc and it's dated October 2026 in the Kernel API Manual — so yeah, a little time-travel moment, we love that for us 🎀 bye bestie, go be normal about hardware paths 💜