start_removing(9)

💅 NAME

okay bestie, this is start_removing(9) from the Kernel API Manual — literallly the “prepare to remove a given name with permission checking” page. 💅

✨ SYNOPSIS

struct dentry * start_removing (struct mnt_idmap *idmap , struct dentry *parent , struct qstr *name );

🎀 ARGUMENTS

• idmap — the idmap of the mount. 🫶
• parent — directory in which to find the name.
• name — the name to be removed. 🎀

🦋 DESCRIPTION

Locks get taken, and a lookup is performed before an object is removed from a directory. Permission checking (MAY_EXEC) is performed against idmap. ✨

If the name doesn’t exist, an error is returned. 😭

end_removing should be called when removal is complete, or aborted. periodt.

🌸 RETURN

a positive dentry, or an error. That’s the vibe check. 💖

💖 SEE ALSO

Kernel file ./fs/namei.c — plus this whole iconic entourage:

• check_acl(9)
• acl_permission_check(9)
• generic_permission(9)
• do_inode_permission(9)
• sb_permission(9)
• inode_permission(9)
• path_get(9)
• path_put(9)
• path_connected(9)
• try_to_unlazy(9)
• try_to_unlazy_next(9)
• complete_walk(9)
• may_follow_link(9)
• safe_hardlink_source(9)
• may_linkat(9)
• may_create_in_sticky(9)
• lookup_fast(9)
• start_dirop(9)
• end_dirop(9)
• kern_path_parent(9)
• vfs_path_parent_lookup(9)
• vfs_path_lookup(9)
• try_lookup_noperm(9)
• lookup_noperm(9)
• lookup_one(9)
• lookup_one_unlocked(9)
• lookup_one_positive_killable(9)
• lookup_one_positive_unlocked(9)
• lookup_noperm_unlocked(9)
• start_creating(9)
• start_creating_killable(9)
• start_removing_killable(9)
• start_creating_noperm(9)
• start_removing_noperm(9)
• start_creating_dentry(9)
• start_removing_dentry(9)
• __start_renaming(9)
• start_renaming(9)
• start_renaming_dentry(9)
• start_renaming_two_dentries(9)
• vfs_prepare_mode(9)
• vfs_create(9)
• atomic_open(9)
• vfs_lookup_open(9)
• vfs_tmpfile(9)
• kernel_tmpfile_open(9)
• end_creating_path(9)
• dentry_create(9)
• vfs_mknod(9)
• vfs_mkdir(9)
• vfs_rmdir(9)
• vfs_unlink(9)
• vfs_symlink(9)
• vfs_link(9)
• vfs_rename(9)
• vfs_readlink(9)
• vfs_get_link(9)
• page_get_link(9)
• page_put_link(9)

That’s the page, bestie! Source/version: ./fs. Date: October 2026. Manual: start_removing(9). 🫶💜