snd_pcm_lib_free_pages(9)

💖 snd_pcm_lib_free_pages 💖

okay so bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual ✨ — this one's about snd_pcm_lib_free_pages, and honestly? it's giving "cleanup era." no cap.

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✨ NAME ✨

snd_pcm_lib_free_pages — release the allocated DMA buffer. that's it. that's the whole vibe. 🎀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int snd_pcm_lib_free_pages (struct snd_pcm_substream *substream );

literally just hand it a substream and it does the freeing thing. slay.

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• substream — the substream to release the DMA buffer. like, the specific one. not all of them, not your neighbor's. this one. 🫶

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💅 DESCRIPTION 💅

so here's the tea ☕ — this function releases the DMA buffer that was allocated via snd_pcm_lib_malloc_pages. that's it. the malloc's other half. the breakup text after the situationship. iconic, honestly.

if you allocated it with snd_pcm_lib_malloc_pages, you free it with this. balance. harmony. the circle of (kernel) life. 🧚✨

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⭐ RETURN ⭐

• 0 — successful, we ate, no crumbs 💅
• negative error code — failure 😭 something went sideways

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

the whole friend group lives in the kernel file ./sound/core/pcm_memory.c, and they're all linked below — go say hi 🫶:

• snd_pcm_lib_preallocate_free(9)
• snd_pcm_lib_preallocate_free_for_all(9)
• snd_pcm_lib_preallocate_pages(9)
• snd_pcm_lib_preallocate_pages_for_all(9)
• snd_pcm_set_managed_buffer(9)
• snd_pcm_set_managed_buffer_all(9)
• snd_pcm_lib_malloc_pages(9)

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and that's the page, bestie!! 🎀✨ shoutout to the source at ./sound/core and the October 2026 version stamp — she's fresh, she's documented, she's main character energy 👑💜