request_firmware_into_buf(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💖 request_firmware_into_buf(9) 💖

okay so bestie, welcome to the kernel API manual, this one's a function page and it's honestly kind of a slay 🫶 — it's called request_firmware_into_buf and it does exactly one thing but it does it, like, really well.

✨ NAME ✨

request_firmware_into_buf — load firmware into a previously allocated buffer 💅

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

int request_firmware_into_buf (const struct firmware **firmware_p ,
const char *name , struct device *device , void *buf , size_t size );

like yes, that's the whole vibe. five arguments, one int coming back at you 💖

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

  • firmware_p — pointer to firmware image. it's the double-pointer situation, she's fancy 💅
  • name — name of firmware file. so like, what you're actually asking for 🌸
  • device — device for which firmware is being loaded and DMA region allocated. it's giving "who is this for" energy 👑
  • buf — address of buffer to load firmware into. the destination, the moment, the main character 🎯
  • size — size of buffer. no cap, you gotta tell her how much room there is ⭐

🌈 DESCRIPTION 🌈

okay so here's the tea ☕ — this function works pretty much like request_firmware, but it doesn't allocate a buffer to hold the firmware data. nope, not doing that today 🙅‍♀️

Instead, the firmware is loaded directly into the buffer pointed to by buf, and the firmware_p data member is pointed at buf. the way that it just... points directly at your buffer? iconic. no middleman, no extra allocation, she's efficient 💀✨

Also important bestie, and I need you to hear me on this one: this function doesn't cache firmware either. no caching, no hoarding, no saving it for later 🙈

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

Kernel file ./drivers/base/firmware_loader/main.c and honestly the whole friend group:

and that's the page, bestie 🧚💜 this one lives in ./drivers/base/firmware_loader and it's dated October 2026 — go forth and load your firmware directly into that buffer, periodt 🌟

📦 where this page comes from