raw_atomic6...turn_relaxed(9)

💅 raw_atomic64_dec_return_relaxed — from the Kernel API Manual ✨

okay bestie, so this page lives in the Kernel API Manual (section 9, kernel-space era 🫶) and it's about raw_atomic64_dec_return_relaxed. yes that's a long name. yes it's iconic. let's get into it 💖

🌸 NAME 🌸

raw_atomic64_dec_return_relaxed — atomic decrement with relaxed ordering ✨

like, it takes one off a number, atomically, with relaxed vibes. no drama, no barriers, just math. 🔥

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

s64 raw_atomic64_dec_return_relaxed (atomic64_t *v );

that's the whole signature, no cap. copy it exactly, spaces and all, she's sensitive 💅

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

v — pointer to atomic64_t. that's it. that's the whole arg list. she just needs a pointer to a 64-bit atomic and she'll do the rest 😌

⭐ DESCRIPTION ⭐

okay so the actual tea 🍓: it atomically updates v to (v - 1) with relaxed ordering. atomically means nobody's gonna sneak in mid-decrement and mess up your number — it's giving main character energy, one clean operation, no interleaving 💫

and because the ordering is relaxed, it's lowkey the "i'm not waiting around for anybody" version of the ordering options. memory ordering who? never met her. 🙈

real talk though — this one is safe to use in noinstr code; prefer atomic64_dec_return_relaxed elsewhere. that's not me being shady, that's straight from the page, bestie. the raw_ family gets the noinstr pass, the plain one is your normal-day pick. pick accordingly 👑

👑 RETURN 👑

The updated value of v. 💖

so like — not the old value, not a "did it work," just the shiny new number after the decrement. it looks like s64, it tastes like s64, it is s64. slay. ✨

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

okay so this is the part where she lists literally every cousin in the family. buckle up, this is a long guest list 🎟️

the raw_atomic_ originals ✨

raw_atomic_read(9), raw_atomic_read_acquire(9), raw_atomic_set(9), raw_atomic_set_release(9), raw_atomic_add(9), raw_atomic_add_return(9), raw_atomic_add_return_acquire(9), raw_atomic_add_return_release(9), raw_atomic_add_return_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_fetch_add(9), raw_atomic_fetch_add_acquire(9), raw_atomic_fetch_add_release(9), raw_atomic_fetch_add_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_sub(9), raw_atomic_sub_return(9), raw_atomic_sub_return_acquire(9), raw_atomic_sub_return_release(9), raw_atomic_sub_return_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_fetch_sub(9), raw_atomic_fetch_sub_acquire(9), raw_atomic_fetch_sub_release(9), raw_atomic_fetch_sub_relaxed(9)

the inc/dec girlies 🧚

bitwise besties 💜

the swap & compare crowd 🔥

raw_atomic_xchg(9), raw_atomic_xchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic_xchg_release(9), raw_atomic_xchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_cmpxchg(9), raw_atomic_cmpxchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic_cmpxchg_release(9), raw_atomic_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg(9), raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg_release(9), raw_atomic_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9)

tests, negatives & conditionals 🩷

raw_atomic_sub_and_test(9), raw_atomic_dec_and_test(9), raw_atomic_inc_and_test(9), raw_atomic_add_negative(9), raw_atomic_add_negative_acquire(9), raw_atomic_add_negative_release(9), raw_atomic_add_negative_relaxed(9), raw_atomic_fetch_add_unless(9), raw_atomic_add_unless(9), raw_atomic_inc_not_zero(9), raw_atomic_inc_unless_negative(9), raw_atomic_dec_unless_positive(9), raw_atomic_dec_if_positive(9)

now the 64-bit side, aka our actual household 👑

raw_atomic64_read(9), raw_atomic64_read_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_set(9), raw_atomic64_set_release(9), raw_atomic64_add(9), raw_atomic64_add_return(9), raw_atomic64_add_return_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_add_return_release(9), raw_atomic64_add_return_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_add(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_add_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_add_release(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_add_relaxed(9)

raw_atomic64_or(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_or(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_or_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_or_release(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_or_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_xor(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_xor(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_xor_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_xor_release(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_xor_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_xchg(9), raw_atomic64_xchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_xchg_release(9), raw_atomic64_xchg_relaxed(9)

raw_atomic64_cmpxchg(9), raw_atomic64_cmpxchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_cmpxchg_release(9), raw_atomic64_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg(9), raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg_release(9), raw_atomic64_try_cmpxchg_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_sub_and_test(9), raw_atomic64_dec_and_test(9), raw_atomic64_inc_and_test(9), raw_atomic64_add_negative(9), raw_atomic64_add_negative_acquire(9), raw_atomic64_add_negative_release(9), raw_atomic64_add_negative_relaxed(9), raw_atomic64_fetch_add_unless(9), raw_atomic64_add_unless(9), raw_atomic64_inc_not_zero(9), raw_atomic64_inc_unless_negative(9), raw_atomic64_dec_unless_positive(9), raw_atomic64_dec_if_positive(9)

and the source file herself, the address of the whole party 🏠

./include/linux/atomic/atomic-arch-fallback.h

iykyk 💅

and that's the page, bestie!! 🫶 this lil love letter to atomics came out of ./include/linux/atomic, dated October 2026, and it's filed under raw_atomic64_dec_return_relaxed(9) in the Kernel API Manual — literal queen behavior, no notes 👑✨💖

📦 where this page comes from

nixpkgs unstable: linux-manual 7.3.1
💖 girlified by deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017 on 2026-11-04: a language model's rewrite of the original, under its terms