STRUCT MEDIA_REQUEST(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

💅 struct media_request(9) 💅

okay so bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual ✨ — yes, THE Kernel API Manual, the one we all gagged over. today's main character is struct media_request, aka Media device request. she's giving kernel-internals-realness and honestly? obsessed 🎀

🌸 NAME 🌸

struct media_request — Media device request 🦋

like, that's her. that's the whole name. periodt.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

no cap, here's the literal struct, copied with love and zero typos 💖:

struct media_request {
    struct media_device *mdev;
    struct kref kref;
    char debug_str[TASK_COMM_LEN + 11];
    enum media_request_state state;
    unsigned int updating_count;
    unsigned int access_count;
    struct list_head objects;
    unsigned int num_incomplete_objects;
    bool manual_completion;
    wait_queue_head_t poll_wait;
    spinlock_t lock;
};

she's a whole vibe check in struct form, iykyk 💅

🧚 Members 🧚

okay so this is the part where we meet the squad, one field at a time — every single one, no skipping, fr fr:

  • mdev — the Media device this request belongs to 🫶 like, her home base, her origin story.
  • kref — Reference count ⭐ the classic "how many people are holding hands with me right now" counter.
  • debug_str — Prefix for debug messages (process name:fd) 🔍 so when she talks in debug logs, she introduces herself properly, process name:fd style.
  • state — The state of the request 🌈 literally what mood she's in, structurally speaking. the type is enum media_request_state, in case you were wondering 👀
  • updating_count — count the number of request updates that are in progress 🔥 keeping track of how many update situations are currently mid-happening.
  • access_count — count the number of request accesses that are in progress 💜 same energy, but for accesses. very "how many people are looking at me rn" of her.
  • objects — List of struct media_request_object request objects 🎀 it's a struct list_head, and it's exactly what it sounds like: the guest list.
  • num_incomplete_objects — The number of incomplete objects in the request 🍓 the little counter of things that aren't done yet. she's tracking them, don't worry.
  • manual_completion — if true, then the request won't be marked as completed when num_incomplete_objects reaches 0. Call media_request_manual_complete to complete the request after num_incomplete_objects == 0. 🙈 so like, she does NOT auto-complete herself and that's a whole thing — you have to do it by hand with media_request_manual_complete, and only after num_incomplete_objects == 0. read that twice bestie, it matters 💀
  • poll_wait — Wait queue for poll ⏳ the waiting room where poll hangs out.
  • lock — Serializes access to this struct 🔒 the bouncer at the door. nobody gets in out of order.
lowkey important: manual_completion being a "no auto-complete" switch is real behavior, not a fun fact. don't be out here expecting her to finish herself 💅

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

the whole friend group, linked with love — Kernel file ./include/media/media-request.h plus every single one of these 🌟:

🎀 that's the whole page, bestie. you ate that. and for the record, this lil masterpiece lives in ./include/media and it's dated October 2026 — so yeah, future icon behavior 💜🦋✨ periodt.

📦 where this page comes from