tlb_gather_mmu_vma(9)

💅 tlb_gather_mmu_vma(9) — like, the Kernel API Manual page you actually needed 🎀

okay bestie, gather round (pun absolutely intended, iykyk) because this one is from the Kernel API Manual and it is so specific and honestly kind of iconic for it.

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✨ NAME ✨

tlb_gather_mmu_vma — sets up an mmu_gather structure so you can operate on a single VMA. that's it, that's the whole gig, no cap 💖

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

void tlb_gather_mmu_vma (struct mmu_gather *tlb , struct vm_area_struct *vma );

literally just hand it a tlb and a vma and it returns void. no drama, no return value, nothing to check. slay 💅

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• tlb — the mmu_gather structure you're initializing. it's the thing getting set up, bestie, be nice to it 🫶
• vma — the vm_area_struct. yes, the VMA from the name. main character energy fr 🌟

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🔥 DESCRIPTION 🔥

so here's the vibe: you call this to initialize an (on-stack) mmu_gather structure for operating on a single VMA. on-stack, meaning it lives right there on your stack, no malloc-ing required, we love a low-maintenance queen ✨

now, in contrast to tlb_gather_mmu, calling this function will not require another call to tlb_start_vma. one and done. no follow-up needed, she's self-sufficient 💁‍♀️

and in contrast to tlb_start_vma, this function will not call flush_cache_range. like, at all. zero. none. so don't go expecting that cache flush, because she is simply not doing it, okay? 😭

oh and for hugetlb VMAs? this function will also initialize the mmu_gather page_size accordingly, so you do not need a separate call to tlb_change_page_size. that's right, it handles the big pages itself too. multi-talented. ate and left no crumbs 👑

real talk though: the *not* on flush_cache_range is in the original and it's in bold for a reason — if your code is relying on a cache flush happening here, it is not happening here. noted? noted. 💀

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

peep these, they're the rest of the squad:

• Kernel file ./mm/mmu_gather.c
• tlb_flush_rmaps(9)
• tlb_remove_table_sync_rcu(9)
• tlb_gather_mmu(9)
• tlb_gather_mmu_fullmm(9)
• tlb_finish_mmu(9)

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and that's the whole page, bestie 🍓 this lil gem lives over in ./mm, dated October 2026, and it's brought to you by tlb_gather_mmu_vma(9) from the Kernel API Manual. go forth and initialize your mmu_gather for that single VMA, you absolute icon 💜🧚‍♀️