sd_probe(9)

✨ sd_probe(9) ✨

okay so bestie, this is from the Kernel API Manual and it's literally all about sd_probe — the function that gets called during driver initialization and whenever a new scsi device gets attached to the system. and like, it's called once for each scsi device (not just disks!) that's present. iykyk 💅

---

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int sd_probe (struct scsi_device *sdp );

---

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• sdp — pointer to device object. that's it, that's the whole vibe 🫶

---

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so here's the tea: it returns 0 if it's successful (or if it's just not interested in this scsi device at all — like a scanner, for example). and it returns 1 when there's an error. periodt. 💀

---

🔥 NOTE 🔥

okay so this function is invoked from the scsi mid-level, no cap. what it does is set up the mapping between a given <host,channel,id,lun> (which you'll find in sdp) and the new device name (like /dev/sda). more precisely, it's the block device major and minor number that gets chosen right here. iconic behavior honestly 👑

⚠️ assume sd_probe is not re-entrant (for time being). also think about sd_probe and sd_remove running coincidentally. just... keep that in mind bestie 😭

---

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

kernel file ./drivers/scsi/sd.c and all these iconic functions:

• sd_group_number(9)
• sd_open(9)
• sd_release(9)
• sd_ioctl(9)
• sd_check_events(9)
• sd_eh_reset(9)
• sd_eh_action(9)
• sd_done(9)
• sd_read_block_provisioning(9)
• sd_read_cpr(9)
• sd_revalidate_disk(9)
• sd_unlock_native_capacity(9)
• sd_format_disk_name(9)
• sd_remove(9)
• init_sd(9)
• exit_sd(9)

---

and that's the whole page! this gem lives in ./drivers/scsi and it's dated October 2026 — slay 💅✨🌸