tb_switch_alloc_safe_mode(9)

💅 tb_switch_alloc_safe_mode — Kernel API Manual, section 9 🎀

okay bestie, story time: this is a page from the Kernel API Manual (section 9) about one very specific little function, and honestly it's giving "baby switch before its glow-up" energy. let's get into it ✨

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✨ NAME ✨

tb_switch_alloc_safe_mode — allocate a switch that is in safe mode 🦋

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

struct tb_switch * tb_switch_alloc_safe_mode (struct tb *tb , struct
device *parent , u64 route );

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🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• tb — pointer to the owning domain 👑
• parent — the parent device for this switch 🫶
• route — the route string for this switch 🌈

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

so this function creates a switch in safe mode, and ngl "safe mode" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here 😭 it literally means the switch pretty much lacks all capabilities except the DMA configuration port — and that's before it gets flashed with a valid NVM firmware. like, it's a switch that hasn't found itself yet, periodt. 💀

the returned switch must be released by calling tb_switch_put 🚨 don't just ghost it, bestie — that's a leak.

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⭐ RETURN ⭐

a pointer to struct tb_switch, or ERR_PTR in case of failure 🙈 (iykyk — always check your pointers)

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🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

kernel file ./drivers/thunderbolt/switch.c and honestly the whole friend group:

• tb_switch_nvm_read(9)
• tb_port_state(9)
• tb_wait_for_port(9)
• tb_port_add_nfc_credits(9)
• tb_port_clear_counter(9)
• tb_port_unlock(9)
• tb_port_enable(9)
• tb_port_disable(9)
• tb_port_reset(9)
• tb_port_alloc_in_hopid(9)
• tb_port_alloc_out_hopid(9)
• tb_port_release_in_hopid(9)
• tb_port_release_out_hopid(9)
• tb_next_port_on_path(9)
• tb_port_get_link_speed(9)
• tb_port_get_link_generation(9)
• tb_port_get_link_width(9)
• tb_port_width_supported(9)
• tb_port_set_link_width(9)
• tb_port_set_lane_bonding(9)
• tb_port_lane_bonding_enable(9)
• tb_port_lane_bonding_disable(9)
• tb_port_wait_for_link_width(9)
• tb_port_update_credits(9)
• tb_port_is_enabled(9)
• tb_usb3_port_is_enabled(9)
• tb_usb3_port_enable(9)
• tb_pci_port_is_enabled(9)
• tb_pci_port_enable(9)
• tb_dp_port_hpd_is_active(9)
• tb_dp_port_hpd_clear(9)
• tb_dp_port_set_hops(9)
• tb_dp_port_is_enabled(9)
• tb_dp_port_enable(9)
• tb_switch_reset(9)
• tb_switch_wait_for_bit(9)
• tb_switch_alloc(9)
• tb_switch_configure(9)
• tb_switch_configuration_valid(9)
• tb_switch_lane_bonding_enable(9)
• tb_switch_lane_bonding_disable(9)
• tb_switch_set_link_width(9)
• tb_switch_configure_link(9)
• tb_switch_unconfigure_link(9)
• tb_switch_add(9)
• tb_switch_remove(9)
• tb_sw_set_unplugged(9)
• tb_switch_resume(9)
• tb_switch_suspend(9)
• tb_switch_query_dp_resource(9)
• tb_switch_alloc_dp_resource(9)
• tb_switch_dealloc_dp_resource(9)
• tb_switch_find_by_link_depth(9)
• tb_switch_find_by_uuid(9)
• tb_switch_find_by_route(9)
• tb_switch_find_port(9)
• tb_switch_pcie_l1_enable(9)
• tb_switch_xhci_connect(9)
• tb_switch_xhci_disconnect(9)

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and that's the whole page, bestie — no cap, every single reference is there 💜

this iconic little manual page comes to you from ./drivers/thunderbolt, dated October 2026, and it's tb_switch_alloc_safe_mode(9) signing off 🧚✨ mwah 💋