vm_insert_pages(9)

💅 vm_insert_pages — Kernel API Manual, bestie edition

okay so bestie, gather round, because this one's a banger. We're in the Kernel API Manual today and the star of the show is vm_insert_pages(9). Yes it's a mouthful, no we're not changing it, it's iconic like that. 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

vm_insert_pages — insert multiple pages into user vma, batching the pmd lock. that's it. that's the whole vibe. lowkey a whole function in one line. 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

int vm_insert_pages (struct vm_area_struct *vma , unsigned long addr ,
       struct page **pages , unsigned long *num );

copy it exactly, don't be cute with it, the compiler is not your friend like that. 🫶

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• vma — the user vma to map to. this is the destination, the main character we're all here for.
• addr — target start user address of these pages. the starting line, literally.
• pages — source kernel pages. the goods. the actual pages being brought over. ✨
• num — the sneaky two-faced one, bestie, watch out:
  • in: number of pages to map.
  • out: number of pages that were *not* mapped. and 0 means all pages were successfully mapped. so zero is the good outcome here, which feels illegal but okay we roll with it. 😭

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💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

Preferred over vm_insert_page when inserting multiple pages. like, if you've got a whole friend group of pages, don't send them one at a time, use this one. batching the pmd lock is the entire point and it ate. 🔥

In case of error, we may have mapped a subset of the provided pages. It is the caller's responsibility to account for this case. not me warning you that a partial mapping can absolutely happen and then just... handing you the bill. 🙈 this is on you to handle, bestie, no cap. check your num and do the math.

The same restrictions apply as in vm_insert_page. same rules, different friend. if you don't know them, go read that one — iykyk. 💀

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

The kernel file ./mm/memory.c is where all this lives, and honestly the whole ./mm girlies are here for the cross-references:

• free_pgd_range(9)
• free_pgtables(9)
• __vm_normal_page(9)
• vm_normal_page(9)
• vm_normal_folio(9)
• vm_normal_page_pmd(9)
• vm_normal_folio_pmd(9)
• vm_normal_page_pud(9)
• restore_exclusive_pte(9)
• cond_install_uffd_wp_ptes(9)
• zap_vma_for_reaping(9)
• unmap_vmas(9)
• zap_vma_range_batched(9)
• zap_vma_range(9)
• zap_special_vma_range(9)
• vm_insert_page(9)
• vm_map_pages(9)
• vm_map_pages_zero(9)
• vmf_insert_pfn_prot(9)
• vmf_insert_pfn(9)
• remap_pfn_range(9)
• vm_iomap_memory(9)
• __vmf_anon_prepare(9)
• finish_mkwrite_fault(9)
• unmap_mapping_folio(9)
• unmap_mapping_pages(9)
• unmap_mapping_range(9)
• set_pte_range(9)
• finish_fault(9)
• mm_account_fault(9)
• follow_pfnmap_start(9)
• follow_pfnmap_end(9)
• generic_access_phys(9)
• access_remote_vm(9)
• copy_remote_vm_str(9)
• folio_zero_user(9)

that's the whole squad. every single one. don't skip anybody, that's rude. 🌈

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🧚 sign-off 🧚

okay that's the page!! this one's chilling in ./mm and the manual itself is dated October 2026 — the version info in the footer says Kernel API Manual and the date, and since we're being cute about it: consider it stamped, signed, and blessed. go map some pages bestie, you're gonna slay. 💜🦋⭐ 🎀