STRUCT GPU_BUDDY_BLOCK(9)

💅 struct gpu_buddy_block(9) — Kernel API Manual

okay bestie, welcome to the struct gpu_buddy_block(9) page, and honestly? this one's a whole vibe. it's the little struct that could, and it lives in the kernel API manual. let's get into it 💖

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✨ NAME ✨

struct gpu_buddy_block — a Block within a buddy allocator. that's it, that's the tweet 🫶

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

here's the literal shape of her, no cap, copy-pasted exactly:

struct gpu_buddy_block {
    void *private;
    union {
      struct list_head link;
    };
 };

look at that anonymous union just vibing in there. iconic. 💅

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🎀 Members 🎀

• private — Private data owned by the allocator user (e.g., driver-specific data). it's your little pocket of space, the allocator doesn't peek, she's not nosy like that 🙈
• {unnamed_union} — anonymous. yes queen, no name needed, she simply exists 💀
• link — List node for user ownership while block is allocated. so like, when the block is out there living its allocated life, this is how it gets tracked in a list 🔥

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🦋 Description 🦋

okay so here's the lore. Each block in the buddy allocator is represented by this structure — every single one, no exceptions 🧚

Blocks are organized in a binary tree where each parent block can be split into two children (left and right buddies). it's giving family tree but make it memory management. the way that a parent just splits into two whole buddies? main character energy honestly ✨

The allocator manages blocks at various orders (power-of-2 sizes) from chunk_size up to the largest contiguous region. so like, powers of two all day, starting at chunk_size and going all the way up to the biggest contiguous region there is. slay 🌈

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⭐ SEE ALSO ⭐

go read these next, bestie, they're all linked up iykyk:

• Kernel file ./include/linux/gpu_buddy.h
• GPU_BUDDY_RANGE_ALLOCATION(9)
• GPU_BUDDY_TOPDOWN_ALLOCATION(9)
• GPU_BUDDY_CONTIGUOUS_ALLOCATION(9)
• GPU_BUDDY_CLEAR_ALLOCATION(9)
• GPU_BUDDY_CLEARED(9)
• GPU_BUDDY_TRIM_DISABLE(9)
• struct gpu_buddy(9)
• gpu_buddy_driver_set_lock(9)
• gpu_buddy_driver_lock_held(9)

fr fr go read them, they're the supporting cast and they ate 💅

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and that's the page!! this cutie came from ./include/linux and the date on her is October 2026 — so she's from the future, which is very on brand for her tbqh. mwah, go split some blocks, ily 🫶💖🎀