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smtp.subspace.kernel.org; dkim=pass header.d=kernel.org header.i=@kernel.org header.a=rsa-sha256 header.s=k20260515 header.b=NdIhkmR8; arc=none smtp.remote-ip=100.103.45.18 Received: from smtp.kernel.org (quasi.space.kernel.org [100.103.45.18]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (256/256 bits) key-exchange X25519 server-signature ECDSA (prime256v1)) (No client certificate requested) by smtp.subspace.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 8203F607B54D; Wed, 4 Nov 2026 19:35:03 +0000 (UTC) Authentication-Results: smtp.subspace.kernel.org; dkim=pass (2048-bit key, unprotected) header.d=kernel.org header.i=@kernel.org header.a=rsa-sha256 header.s=k20260515 header.b=NdIhkmR8 Received: by smtp.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 1ED851F00A02; Wed, 4 Nov 2026 19:34:50 +0000 (UTC) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=kernel.org; s=k20260515; t=1793820903; bh=oemelKiySoMOiwqgnAV36fuORtRsmkNeJKV1jFDEe84=; h=From:To:Cc:Subject:Date:In-Reply-To:References; b=NdIhkmR863LfWCMprOyQyV25PD9rqXv4D86G8KwpEpwgu1ew2ly1VSDsSi+vvNYEk pdiZGLaYCfcSpolU08dh2Ox1XpOziHjEMF9eLPIDzoTncs0uTQyA6t8IDEFXhb5uJs MRInNSukyF1lX2N30J/c9l2JglsG5ux7QFyq1uyq7vfLaPRQQlR15nRd48a3wYrcj6 lZnjRRg76YYo/mMbP1lvf4rqBK45QGvet6xWqoa/QxNtd7fbtopkQWoQ70/UsVkZ5X A0w5KwPb7M+lvH7D74CrzGbvuZKc4J2ZdYCBgX0hv6j2ovnkrXSc22NLiSnmZ4i+5N tZ+4a/qMfQlag== From: Christian Brauner To: linux-fsdevel@vger.kernel.org Cc: Linus Torvalds , Jann Horn , Josef Bacik , Chris Mason , Jeff Layton , NeilBrown , Eric Dumazet , Thomas Gleixner , Al Viro , Jonathan Corbet , Christoph Hellwig , Greg Kroah-Hartman , Joel Granados , Kees Cook , Jan Kara , Jan Kara , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, linux-nfs@vger.kernel.org, linux-acpi@vger.kernel.org, linux-kselftest@vger.kernel.org, linux-s390@vger.kernel.org, linux-scsi@vger.kernel.org, linux-um@lists.infradead.org, linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org, linuxppc-dev@lists.ozlabs.org, netdev@vger.kernel.org, ntfs3@lists.linux.dev, platform-driver-x86@vger.kernel.org, coreteam@netfilter.org, kexec@lists.infradead.org, linux-pci@vger.kernel.org, linux-sound@vger.kernel.org, netfilter-devel@vger.kernel.org, dri-devel@lists.freedesktop.org, ibm-acpi-devel@lists.sourceforge.net, jfs-discussion@lists.sourceforge.net, linux-alpha@vger.kernel.org, linux-arm-kernel@lists.infradead.org, linux-cifs@vger.kernel.org, linux-fbdev@vger.kernel.org, linux-hwmon@vger.kernel.org, linux-mm@kvack.org, linux-sh@vger.kernel.org, linux-usb@vger.kernel.org, samba-technical@lists.samba.org, sparclinux@vger.kernel.org, linux-m68k@lists.linux-m68k.org, linux-doc@vger.kernel.org, linux-serial@vger.kernel.org, linux-atm-general@lists.sourceforge.net, Takashi Iwai , linux-input@vger.kernel.org, linux-raid@vger.kernel.org, linux-ext4@vger.kernel.org, linux-modules@vger.kernel.org, linux-debuggers@vger.kernel.org, "Christian Brauner (Amutable)" , Chuck Lever Subject: [PATCH RESEND v2 23/23] Documentation: seq_file: describe how a /proc file uses seq_file Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2026 20:34:48 +0100 Message-ID: <20261104-work-procfs-core-v2-23-76ace653a773@kernel.org> In-Reply-To: <20261104-work-procfs-core-v2-0-76ace653a773@kernel.org> References: <20261104-work-procfs-core-v2-0-76ace653a773@kernel.org> X-Mailing-List: linux-input@vger.kernel.org List-Id: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: List-Owner: Precedence: list MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" X-Mailer: b4 0.17-dev X-Developer-Signature: v=1; a=openpgp-sha256; l=4403; i=brauner@kernel.org; h=from:subject:message-id; bh=6aFABatdXquU8hYCBft2XO0RwrbgVBBoDcjFdlGJCdI=; b=owGbwMvMwCU28Zj0gdSKO4sYT6slMWS9bu999ubNM3NDJXcTDjvH6RMe/w9V29r24X7WXYarX YufWirLd5SyMIhxMciKKbI4tJuEyy3nqdhslKkBM4eVCWQIAxenAEzk2jSGf9YGYrvfJiTw13KH 3J79bJLsjXdRNnOFKw4/9t52hvePsgMjw7XgK04OnTPMIvIuqxf1X2w3cXUIes79qe2gRORUuY8 PuQA= X-Developer-Key: i=brauner@kernel.org; a=openpgp; fpr=4880B8C9BD0E5106FC070F4F7B3C391EFEA93624 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit The example in seq_file.rst hands proc_create() file operations built from an open method that calls seq_open() and from seq_read(), seq_lseek() and seq_release(). procfs doesn't work that way anymore. It opens and releases the seq_file itself when the entry declares its seq_operations or its show function in struct proc_ops. Say so, and point the extra-simple version at ->proc_show() for /proc files. Signed-off-by: Christian Brauner (Amutable) --- Documentation/filesystems/seq_file.rst | 42 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------- 1 file changed, 33 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-) diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/seq_file.rst b/Documentation/filesystems/seq_file.rst index d753d8177bcb..3e6ff1c1226d 100644 --- a/Documentation/filesystems/seq_file.rst +++ b/Documentation/filesystems/seq_file.rst @@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ kernel 3.10. Current versions require the following update:: - entry = create_proc_entry("sequence", 0, NULL); - if (entry) - entry->proc_fops = &ct_file_ops; - + entry = proc_create("sequence", 0, NULL, &ct_file_ops); + + entry = proc_create("sequence", 0, NULL, &ct_proc_ops); The iterator interface ====================== @@ -277,9 +277,10 @@ seq_file system, but we have not yet turned them into a file that a user can see. Creating a file within the kernel requires, of course, the creation of a set of file_operations which implement the operations on that file. The seq_file interface provides a set of canned operations which do -most of the work. The virtual file author still must implement the open() -method, however, to hook everything up. The open function is often a single -line, as in the example module:: +most of the work. A file in /proc is special, procfs hooks the seq_file up +itself, see below. Everywhere else the virtual file author still must +implement the open() method to do that. The open function is often a +single line:: static int ct_open(struct inode *inode, struct file *file) { @@ -343,19 +344,38 @@ file_operations structure will look like:: There is also a seq_release_private() which passes the contents of the seq_file private field to kfree() before releasing the structure. -The final step is the creation of the /proc file itself. In the example -code, that is done in the initialization code in the usual way:: +The final step is the creation of the file itself. A file in /proc is +special here: procfs opens and releases the seq_file itself, so there is +no open method and no file_operations for it. The entry declares its +seq_operations in struct proc_ops instead, and the size of a private +block in proc_state_size if it wants procfs to allocate one like +seq_open_private() would:: + + static const struct proc_ops ct_proc_ops = { + .proc_seq_ops = &ct_seq_ops, + }; static int ct_init(void) { - struct proc_dir_entry *entry; - - proc_create("sequence", 0, NULL, &ct_file_ops); + proc_create("sequence", 0, NULL, &ct_proc_ops); return 0; } module_init(ct_init); +A ->proc_open() method of such an entry finds the seq_file in +file->private_data and may set up more state; ->proc_release() releases +only that. It runs when the entry is removed, which can be while a reader +is still copying out of the seq_file, so it must leave the seq_file +alone. procfs only calls into the entry with the entry pinned, between +start() and stop() like in its other methods, so nothing that runs there +may wait for something a reader can hold while it copies to userspace, +like the seq_file's lock. +An entry that wants to start out with a larger buffer, like +single_open_size() gives, calls seq_preallocate() from ->proc_open(). +The file_operations above are what a file elsewhere, in debugfs for +example, uses. + And that is pretty much it. @@ -394,3 +414,7 @@ value given to single_open() can be found in the private field of the seq_file structure. When using single_open(), the programmer should use single_release() instead of seq_release() in the file_operations structure to avoid a memory leak. + +A file in /proc puts the show() function into the proc_show field of its +struct proc_ops instead and procfs does the rest, with the entry's data in +the private field of the seq_file structure. -- 2.53.0