rproc_elf_load_segments(9)

✨ rproc_elf_load_segments 💅

okay so bestie, this is rproc_elf_load_segments — a page straight out of the Kernel API Manual (it's a section 9 one, iykyk) and honestly it's giving "glorified memcpy with lore." stay with me 🫶

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🌸 NAME 🌸

rproc_elf_load_segments — load firmware segments to memory ✨

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🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

int rproc_elf_load_segments (struct rproc *rproc , const struct firmware
       *fw );

like yes that's the whole signature, no cap 💅

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• rproc — the remote processor that's gonna get booted using these fw segments. it's the main character here 👑
• fw — the ELF firmware image itself. the actual vibes, packaged. 🎁

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🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

So what does this function do? It loads the firmware segments to memory, and not just any memory — it drops them exactly where the remote processor expects them. no "close enough," no "i'll figure it out later." precise placement only. 📍

Here's the thing: some remote processors are highkey picky 😤 — they expect their code and data to live at specific device addresses, and they absolutely cannot have those dynamically assigned. it's not a preference, it's a whole personality.

Right now we only support those kind of remote processors. periodt. and we expect the program header's paddr member to contain those addresses — that's where the tea is 🍵.

So then what happens? we go through the physically contiguous "carveout" memory regions that we allocated (and mapped) earlier on behalf of the remote processor, and we "translate" device addresses into kernel addresses. that way we can actually copy the segments to where they're expected to be. it's giving personal assistant energy, fr fr. 🧚

⚠️ but listen — currently we only support remote processors that required carveout allocations and got them mapped onto their iommus. That's the whole supported set rn.

Some processors might be different: they might not have iommus at all, and they'd honestly prefer to directly allocate memory for every segment/resource. cute idea! but that is not yet supported, though. 💀 so if that's your chip... not today, bestie.

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🌈 RETURN 🌈

0 on success, and an appropriate error code otherwise. slay when it works, 😭 when it doesn't.

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

• Kernel file ./drivers/remoteproc/remoteproc_elf_loader.c — go read it, it's iconic
• rproc_elf_sanity_check(9) — the vibe check ✨
• rproc_elf_get_boot_addr(9)
• rproc_elf_load_rsc_table(9)
• rproc_elf_find_loaded_rsc_table(9)

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and that's the whole page, bestie 🍓 this lil gem lives under ./drivers/remoteproc in the Kernel API Manual, dated October 2026 — so mark your calendar, screenshot it, send it to the group chat 💜💫