scmi_protoco...n_initialize(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💫 scmi_protocol_version_initialize(9) 💫

okay so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual, bestie, and it's all about scmi_protocol_version_initialize — yes the whole title gets truncated to scmi_protoco...n_initialize(9) up top because even manpages got a character limit, we don't judge 💅

🦋 NAME 🦋

scmi_protocol_version_initialize — literally just Initialize protocol version, that's the whole vibe ✨

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

void scmi_protocol_version_initialize (struct device *dev , struct
scmi_protocol_instance *pi );

Returns void — so no exit status to worry about, no return value to check, it just does the thing and leaves, main character energy honestly 👑

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • dev — A device reference. Just a handle to the device, that's it 🫶
  • pi — A reference to the protocol instance being initialized. The one getting all the attention here 💖

✨ DESCRIPTION ✨

okay so first things first: it retrieves the newest protocol version supported by the platform for this specific protocol. Like, it goes and asks the platform "hey what's the latest you got," and the platform answers 🎤

Here's the lowkey important part though — negotiation is attempted only when the platform advertised a protocol version newer than the most recent version known to this agent. Why? because backward compatibility is NOT assured in general between versions. Like, capital-N capital-O capital-T, not assured, do not come for me 🙈

And if it fails to negotiate a fallback version, or fails to query the supported version at all? It just goes ahead and tries to use the newest version known to this agent anyway — even though compatibility is NOT assured. Yes bestie, that's the fallback. It's giving "we ball" 🏀💀

⚠️ fr fr though — that fallback path means running with a version that might not be compatible. Not a guarantee, just a hope and a prayer. The manpage is very clear about this and so am I 🫡

🌈 the version fields, explained 🌈

Versions are defined as, and this is the part you screenshot 📸:

  • pi->version — the version supported by the platform as returned by the query. What the platform said 👀
  • pi->proto->supported_version — the newest version supported by this agent for this protocol. What we can handle 💪
  • pi->negotiated_version — the version successfully negotiated with the platform. The one that actually got agreed on, iconic 🤝
  • ph->version — the final version effectively chosen for this session. The one that's actually showing up to the function 🔥

💜 SEE ALSO 💜

the friend group 🫶 — Kernel file ./drivers/firmware/arm_scmi/driver.c:

and that's the whole page bestie, go forth and negotiate your versions responsibly 🌈

source: ./drivers/firmware/arm_scmi — October 2026 — mwah, love u, bye 🎀💖

📦 where this page comes from