watchdog_register_device(9)

📦 version 7.3.1, in nixpkgs unstable

✨ watchdog_register_device(9) ✨

okay so bestie, welcome to the Kernel API Manual — this is the page for watchdog_register_device(9) and it's literally the main character of getting a watchdog timer into your kernel. no cap, it's giving "let me introduce you to userspace" energy. 🐶💖

🌸 NAME 🌸

watchdog_register_device — register a watchdog device

like, you're putting your watchdog on the official guest list. slay.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

int watchdog_register_device (struct watchdog_device *wdd );

one function, one pointer, one vibe. periodt. 💅

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

  • wdd — watchdog device

that's it. that's the whole argument. your watchdog device struct, hand-delivered like a lil gift. 🎁

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

okay so here's the tea: watchdog_register_device registers a watchdog device with the kernel so that the watchdog timer can be accessed from userspace. that's the entire point bestie — without this call, userspace can't touch your watchdog timer. it's literally the bridge between your driver and the people. 🌉✨

A zero is returned on success and a negative errno code for failure.

so like — 0 means slay, negative errno means 💀. that's the vibe check. no in-between, no "it's complicated", just zero or sad negative number. ngl it's very straightforward and we love that for us. 🫶

🔥 SEE ALSO 🔥

the whole watchdog friend group honestly — register, unregister, init the timeout, set the restart priority, and the devm version for the managed-lifetime girlies. iykyk. 👑🌈

🧚 lowkey reminder: the kernel lives in ./drivers/watchdog and that's where all the watchdog lore is. go read it, bestie. it's iconic. 📖💖

mwah 💋 this page is from the October 2026 edition of the Kernel API Manual, and it's filed under watchdog_register_device(9) — so if you need her again, you know exactly where to find her. go register those watchdogs, bestie, and remember: zero is success, negative errno is not the vibe. 🎀🦋💜

📦 where this page comes from