VM_PAGE_DONTNEED(9)

🌸 NAME 🌸

okay so this is VM_PAGE_DONTNEED(9), straight outta the Kernel Developer's Manual, and it's all about vm_page_dontneed — indicating that a page is not needed anymore. bestie, it's giving “please release this page” energy 💅✨

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

#include <sys/param.h>
#include <vm/vm.h>
#include <vm/vm_page.h>

void
vm_page_dontneed(vm_page_t m);

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

The vm_page_dontneed() function advises the VM system that the given page is no longer required. lowkey important: if the page is already in the inactive queue or in the cache queue, this function does nothing — zero, nada, zilch 🫶 otherwise, the page is deactivated.

🚨 vibe check: vm_page_dontneed() does not necessarily deactivate a page. instead, it implements an algorithm that attempts to prevent small objects from having their pages reused too quickly, and large objects from flushing smaller ones from the queues as their pages are released. no cap 💀

💖 SEE ALSO 💖

• vm_page_deactivate(9) — go read this one too, bestie 🦋

👑 AUTHORS 👑

• This manual page was written by Chad David <davidc@acns.ab.ca>. slay ✨

mwah 💋 — source/version: Debian, dated July 30, 2001, and this iconic page is VM_PAGE_DONTNEED(9). bye bestie 🫶🌈