virtio_reset_device(9)

💅 virtio_reset_device — bestie edition

okay so this is a page from the Kernel API Manual (the virtio_reset_device(9) section, to be exact) and honestly it's a short one but it's important, so pay attention 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

virtio_reset_device — literally the function that quiesces a device for removal 👑 (yes "quiesce" is a real word, it means chill it out / calm it down, and no I will not be elaborating further 💀)

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

void virtio_reset_device (struct virtio_device *dev );

that's it. that's the whole signature. no cap, void in, void out 🫶

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• dev — the device you're resetting ✨ (the one getting the glow-down, if you will 💅)

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💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

So what does it actually do? It prevents the device from sending interrupts and from accessing memory 🛑✨ — like, we're closing the blinds, unplugging the aux, and telling the device to go sit down somewhere.

Generally this is used for cleanup during driver / device removal 🧹 (like when you're packing up to leave the function, metaphorically).

Once this has been invoked, the caller must ensure that virtqueue_notify / virtqueue_kick are not in progress ⚠️ — and I mean it, bestie, this is not a suggestion, this is a requirement 🙈

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🔥 NOTE 🔥

okay so this part is highkey important, listen up 👂

This guarantees that vq callbacks are not in progress ✅ — slay, that box is checked for you.

However (and there's always a however 😭), the caller is responsible for preventing access from other contexts, such as a system call / workqueue / bh 💀. Those are not covered, that's your job, bestie, no one else is doing it for you.

One way to handle that? Invoke virtio_break_device, then flush any such contexts 🫶 that's the move. iykyk.

Fr fr though — don't skip the "prevent other contexts" step. This is the kind of thing where skipping it is giving main character energy in the worst possible way 💀

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• Kernel file ./drivers/virtio/virtio.c
• virtio_config_driver_disable(9)
• virtio_config_driver_enable(9)
• virtio_device_shutdown(9)
• register_virtio_device(9)

go read 'em, they're all part of the same little virtio friend group 🧚✨

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and that's the page!! 🎀 brought to you by the fine folks over in ./drivers/virtio, dated October 2026, under the virtio_reset_device(9) banner — mwah, stay quiesced bestie 💖💅