pr_flush(9)

💅 pr_flush(9) — like, the kernel API manual page, bestie 🫶

okay so this is pr_flush(9) from the Kernel API Manual (yes, the whole manual is called that, we love a self-titled moment 👑). Buckle up, it's giving "wait for your slow friends to catch up" energy and honestly? relatable 😭

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✨ NAME ✨

pr_flush — wait for the printing threads to catch up. that's it. that's the whole vibe. no cap 💅

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🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

bool pr_flush (int timeout_ms , bool reset_on_progress );

look at her. two args, returns a bool, absolutely iconic ✨

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• timeout_ms — the maximum time to wait, measured in ms. your patience budget, basically ⏳
• reset_on_progress — if this one is true, the timeout gets reset every time any printer is spotted making some forward progress 👀 like a little "oh wait, they're moving, okay, new timer" situation 🔥

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🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

so here's the tea ☕:

a value of 0 for timeout_ms means no waiting will occur — zero patience, immediate exit, ghosting behavior fr fr 💀

a value of -1 represents infinite waiting — she will wait forever, main character commitment energy 👑

and if reset_on_progress is true, the timeout will be reset whenever any printer has been seen to make some forward progress. lowkey generous of her ngl 🫶

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🧚 CONTEXT 🧚

Process context. she may sleep while acquiring the console lock 😴 like, actual sleeping, not "pretending to be busy" sleeping. respect the nap 💜

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⭐ RETURN ⭐

returns true if all usable printers are caught up. slay. that's the goal. that's the whole point. periodt 💅✨

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

okay this list is LONG but we do not skip, we do not summarize, we list every single one because that's the rule and we're nothing if not thorough 🎀 all of these live in the kernel file ./kernel/printk/printk.c (well, the section header says ./kernel/printk, and it's all printk business, iykyk):

• console_list_lock(9)
• console_list_unlock(9)
• console_srcu_read_lock(9)
• console_srcu_read_unlock(9)
• console_lock_spinning_enable(9)
• console_lock_spinning_disable_and_check(9)
• console_trylock_spinning(9)
• printk_parse_prefix(9)
• add_preferred_console(9)
• match_devname_and_update_preferred_console(9)
• console_suspend_all(9)
• console_cpu_notify(9)
• console_lock(9)
• console_trylock(9)
• console_unlock(9)
• console_flush_on_panic(9)
• printk_kthreads_shutdown(9)
• console_force_preferred_locked(9)
• wake_up_klogd(9)
• defer_console_output(9)
• printk_trigger_flush(9)
• printk_timed_ratelimit(9)
• kmsg_dump_register(9)
• kmsg_dump_unregister(9)
• kmsg_dump_desc(9)
• kmsg_dump_get_line(9)
• kmsg_dump_get_buffer(9)
• kmsg_dump_rewind(9)
• console_try_replay_all(9)
• __printk_cpu_sync_wait(9)
• __printk_cpu_sync_try_get(9)
• __printk_cpu_sync_put(9)

every single one. we ate and left no crumbs 🍓

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💡 friendly reminder bestie: 0 = no wait, -1 = forever, and reset_on_progress = the timer keeps getting a second chance whenever progress happens. don't forget or you'll be debugging at 3am 😭

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and that's the page!! 🦋 this little slice of kernel lore comes to you from ./kernel/printk, dated October 2026 — mwah, go read some printk source, ily, bye 💖✨🎀